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Does Denmark give money to people who let Ukrainian refugees stay at their homes?

The Local Denmark
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Does Denmark give money to people who let Ukrainian refugees stay at their homes?
Children from Ukraine attending school on the island of Langeland, Denmark, March 23rd 2022. Municipalities can choose to remunerate families who act as hosts for newly arrived Ukrainian refugees. Photo: Tim Kildeborg Jensen/Ritzau Scanpix

Many people in Denmark have offered to give Ukrainian refugees a temporary place to stay after they arrive in the country. Local authorities determine whether to provide financial support to households which take people in.

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The amount of financial assistance given to households who choose to provide Ukrainian refugees with a place to stay following their arrival in Denmark is determined by local municipalities.

The amount actually given varies and can be zero, broadcaster DR reports on Thursday.

Esbjerg Municipality pays 200 kroner per day to residents who allow a Ukrainian refugee to stay in their basement or spare room, DR writes.

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In Haderslev, on the opposite south Jutland coast, no assistance is given for providing board to Ukrainian refugees.

Sønderborg pays 250 kroner per day for adults and 150 kroner per day for children, while Tønder, like Haderslev, does not offer remuneration.

Further north from the border with Germany, in Fredericia, the municipality offers 60 kroner per day for adults and 40 kroner for children. In Vejle, the amounts are 30 kroner and 15 kroner respectively. Kolding gives what is described as “acute help” directly to Ukrainians, with the amount dependent on the size of the family, DR reports. A woman with two children is given 200 kroner per day to spend on essential items.

All municipalities are permitted to pay up to 500 kroner to private host families up to 500 kroner per refugee. The funding comes from the state under a March 10th political provision, but individual municipalities decide whether to offer financial support and how much it will be.

The mayor of the Haderslev Municipality, Mads Skau, told DR the local authority was concerned about the size of the administrative task which might be involved in setting up financial compensation for host families.

“We can see from other municipalities that it cause misunderstandings and be a demanding administrative task. We have to administrate taxpayers’ money correctly without it being called into question,” he said.

Administrative tasks could involve checking to protect against fraudulent use of the system or that money is correctly distributed.

Organisation Bevar Ukraine Haderslev told DR that over 400 Ukrainian refugees are currently staying at private homes in the municipality.

Skou said that the municipality was ready to step in and provide board to those staying privately if families felt unable to continue with their arrangements.

In Esbjerg, host families are required to fill in declaration forms giving details of who will be staying with them and for how long.

Under the March 10th political provision, municipalities can provide for persons who have fled from Ukraine. This can be done by offering public facilities or reaching agreements with private individuals who can offer accommodation and meals.

Municipalities decide the extent they want to use private individuals to help with the task of finding accommodation. They can offer financial recompense but people offering to share their homes cannot demand payment for doing so.

The provision is valid until April 4th, DR writes.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How Ukrainians can apply for residence and work permits in Denmark

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