Mechelen and Antwerp test cases for Ukrainian emergency villages
In addition to Antwerp the city of Mechelen (Antwerp Province) has also revealed details of its plans to build a dedicated emergency housing village for Ukrainian refugees.
“We have filed plans with the Flemish government for the construction of an emergency village. We envisage 200 housing units to accommodate 650 refugees” says Mechelen’s acting mayor Alexander Vandersmissen (Flemish liberal). “We can construct these units on the overflow carpark of events venue Nekkerhal in only a couple of weeks’ time”.
Mechelen already possesses twenty housing containers to accommodate refugees located outside a former hotel.
The Flemish government says the two first emergency villages, in Antwerp and Mechelen, will serve as pilot schemes to establish what exactly is need.
The Flemish home affairs and finance departments are working on an overarching strategy to increase the number of emergency housing villages. The Flemish government earlier called on provincial governors and local authorities to draw up an inventory of locations where emergency villages can be created.