40 percent drop out as refugee host family after screening

Of the people who signed up to take Ukrainian refugees into their homes, 40 percent dropped out after the initial screening, State Secretary Eric van der Burg of Justice and Security wrote to parliament. So far, about 30,000 families have applied for the RefugeeHomeNL program.

RefugeeHomeNL is coordinated by the Red Cross, The Netherlands Council for Refugees, the Salvation Army, and Takecarebnb. Among other things, these organizations are responsible for screening host families and offering guidance to refugees.

People who signed up to receive one or more Ukrainians in their home get an intake phone call and must be able to submit a Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG). Potential host families dropped out because, among other things, they don't have a separate room available for refugees or can only offer shelter for a short period, according to the State Secretary.

This form of private reception is initially an experiment in which refugees are linked to 140 host families, Van der Burg said. "If this period goes well, the project will be expanded." According to the State Secretary, this will happen in close consultation with municipalities.

In addition to RefugeeHomeNL, there are also other private reception initiatives that the Ministry has no insight into, the State Secretary wrote. The Ministry tries "to inform these individuals about everything involved in receiving a displaced person from Ukraine. In addition, the Ukrainians are informed as well as possible during their trip and after arrival in the Netherlands about the risks of possible exploitation if they stay with private individuals who are not coordinated by RefugeeHomeNL."

The Cabinet is also setting aside 23 million euros to reimburse Ukrainian refugees' healthcare costs, Van der Burg said to parliament. The Cabinet previously announced that it would reimburse the costs of uninsured Ukrainians for medically necessary care. There is a special scheme for them based on which care providers will be compensated.