Ukraine, Lira reception | ‘We can be heroes’

Creating a special reception center for refugees in crisis is not difficult. All you need is a house with enough rooms, toilets and beds. And you can cross your fingers and hope no one reacts that the room you are offering as a temporary accommodation does not have washing, does not have hot water, does not have clean curtains and beds, does not have adequate kitchen facilities, does not have a lock on the door, yes also lacks a door to the room/ living unit. After all, there are people who are fleeing misery, war, and distress, so they should be grateful for what they get.

It may seem as if this is how players in the private market for asylum reception centers think.

This is not something I or anyone else will create with me in 2022. This is something I have seen for many years. This has always been the case in the private reception market. The cheapest possible process, as far as possible from the state to the reservation to work. It is a simple recipe for good gain for people in need.

If you also set up a minimum, absolute minimum, staff, both in terms of follow-up on arrival, routing, cleaning and posting to schools and other necessary establishments in the welfare state of Norway, yes you have a better chance of earning when you run a reception.

She should have been prepared

Not only do you have great earning potential in receptions, you can beat yourself up and attack David Bowie’s song “Heroes” as well, at least if you see yourself as a heroine. (pun intended)

The fact that we are now experiencing that refugees from Ukraine react to the standard, or lack thereof, that corresponds to them at the reception where they are placed, is something we must take into account. At the same time, this is something that we should have been prepared for, because this is not the first time we have witnessed mass flight and large refugee flows. Perhaps we should not accept that our warm, inclusive welfare state repeatedly becomes a money basket for greedy exploiters who sacrifice not so much who flees as they do before they stand at the door and knock the bag of aid in their hands.

big need

Everyone who comes to Norway on the run needs a lot of public services so that the life they have fled to is as good as possible. Municipalities have many decades of experience receiving refugees, including large numbers in acute crisis. Give municipalities space to receive and take care of in the best possible way.

If the authorities could reserve the money they would have to use to ensure a decent and dignified life for everyone who comes to Norway on the run by allocating it to the municipalities, perhaps we could have avoided building more tragedy and more discomfort into an already tragedy. And the unpleasant situation for those who come to Norway fleeing war and bombs.

But so far we’ve made arrangements for someone to be able to sit on top of the money box and sing “We can be champions…”