So far, 68,000 people have fled from the Ukraine to Austria. More than 7000 of them arrived in Upper Austria. Most of them live in Linz, Vöcklabruck and Gmunden. Everything they could find and carry they put in shopping bags. A whole life in two hands. They have to start over, many of them without loved ones. Nevertheless, they are not alone: numerous volunteers, associations and communities have taken a step in their direction in recent weeks.
They support the displaced where they can. The Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF), together with the Federal Chancellery, is now making a new funding option available to them. Voluntary initiatives are supported with up to 2500 euros. Integration Minister Susanne Raab (VP) visited the integration center in Linz yesterday with the Social Affairs Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (VP), where numerous volunteers had come together. Both thanked the volunteers for their great commitment. “Voluntary work is a central pillar in integration work. Its importance for social cohesion is also conveyed to refugees in the values and orientation courses,” said Raab. Hattmannsdorfer emphasized that with the regionally distributed accommodation of refugees throughout the country, integration works better and it also simplifies the next step: “It’s about learning German quickly and working,” he said.
backlog of basic services
Hattmannsdorfer confirmed that some refugees from Ukraine are still waiting for payments from basic services. “In the meantime, however, 85 percent of the applications have been processed positively. So there are only 15 percent left, which will follow promptly.”
Source: Nachrichten
