ATS
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, more than 4,000 migrants have found refuge with Vaudois host families. The Canton of Vaud and the Vaud Establishment for the Reception of Migrants (EVAM) organized a thank-you evening in Lausanne on Thursday evening in honor of the families who have hosted many migrants.
“When people seeking safety arrived in our canton, many opened their doors without hesitation. You offered them much more than just a roof: a home, protection and above all, the possibility of a new start,” declared State Councilor Isabelle Moret, quoted in a press release, in front of 400 people gathered in Lausanne. , including families and migrants.
People fleeing Ukraine were not the first to be housed with locals, recalls the Canton. Created almost ten years ago, at the time of the significant influx of asylum seekers in 2015 and 2016, the “Hosting a migrant” project, initiated by the Swiss Organization for Aid to Refugees (OSAR), and the “One village, one family” project have made the canton a pioneer in Switzerland in welcoming migrants into private homes.
The search for accommodation solutions for migrants allocated by the Confederation remains a challenge for the Canton, he underlines. With more than 12,000 people under the responsibility of EVAM, including 6,000 people from Ukraine holding S permits, needs remain high. EVAM, in collaboration with municipalities and families, is therefore continuing its efforts to “offer a dignified and adapted welcome to people seeking protection”.
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Swiss
