Ukraine aid: organisations discuss joint aid offers

Bocholt. On Wednesday afternoon, around 20 representatives from aid organisations and associations met at the Bocholt fire station. Together with the city of Bocholt, possible offers of help for war displaced persons were collected. As of today, people seeking help can also be accommodated in the initial reception centre at Werther Straße 3 (formerly "Yupidu").

Aid for war displaced persons from Ukraine remains a key issue in Bocholt. In order to better coordinate the many offers of help from local aid organisations and social institutions, almost 20 representatives of local groups met on Wednesday afternoon in the meeting room of the Bocholt fire station for a joint exchange.

First City Councillor Thomas Waschki began by thanking those present for their help. "We as a city would not have been able to do this without your help and the help of the people of Bocholt and we will not be able to do it in the future without the support of the local associations", said Waschki. This makes it all the more important to coordinate the approach together in advance and to network needs with offers of help.

Lukas Kwiatkowski, municipal coordinator for Ukraine aid, began by giving an overview of the administration's approach. According to Kwiatkowski, the first point of contact for war displaced persons from Ukraine who are being taken in privately by Bocholt residents is still the foreigners authority. Appointments can be booked via the city's website.

The financial situation will then be clarified with the Department of Social Affairs, says Kwiatkowski. There is now also a leaflet for the necessary contact points, which has also been translated into Ukrainian with the help of Caritas. This leaflet can be found alongside other offers of help on the city's website for Ukrainian aid.

Dominik Hanning, Head of the Social Affairs Department, addressed the issue of housing. It is important to find suitable offers for the displaced persons, but also to filter out dubious offers.

The representatives of the aid associations present then gave an overview of the help available at short notice, including psychological counselling, pregnancy counselling and language courses for displaced persons.

About the reception centre on Werther Straße

The majority of the 220 or so displaced persons who have arrived in Bocholt since the beginning of the war in Ukraine are currently staying privately with Bocholt residents. Nevertheless, the city of Bocholt is also preparing to accommodate war displaced persons from the Ukraine in municipal facilities.

After final official decisions were required, the initial reception centre at Werther Straße 3 (formerly "Yupidu") has been the first port of call for war displaced persons from Ukraine since today, Wednesday. The city of Bocholt has announced that 28 people who were temporarily housed in the Europahaus will move into the initial reception centre on Werther Straße today.

Continue to offer accommodation

The city of Bocholt continues to ask for suitable flats and accommodation to be offered to displaced persons from Ukraine. Almost 40 flats, houses and holiday homes that can be rented at short notice have been registered so far, says Michael Schwinning from the Social Affairs Department.

It is important to understand that the city is currently primarily looking for self-contained accommodation for the war displaced persons. "The people who arrive here are often traumatised and need peace and privacy", says Lukas Kwiatkowski. The city takes a close look at all offers and assesses in detail which people can be accommodated there.

There is a form on the city's website at www.bocholt.de/ukrainehilfe to register additional housing offers. Bocholt residents who want to support Ukrainehilfe locally can also use the donation account set up by the Bündnis für Familie e.V. association. The money will be used exclusively for Ukrainehilfe in Bocholt after consultation with the organisation, says Kwiatkowski.

Donation account:

Bündnis für Familie in Bocholt e.V. - Ukraine
IBAN: DE40 4285 0035 0000 1421 33
Stadtsparkasse Bocholt
BIC: WELADED1BOH

(please provide address and e-mail address for donation receipt.)