Ukrainian Refugees Homeless After Hungary Limits Support

Children huddle up for warmth as they try to sleep on the pavement with their belongings in the Hungarian town of Kocs, about 70 kilometers west of Budapest, on August 22. They were evicted from a privately owned shelter after a Hungarian government directive limited free shelter to refugees from conflict-affected regions of Ukraine.

Refugees, under the watch of civil guards, set up camp near a bus station after being evicted from their temporary accommodation.



 

Donated mattresses are passed along as families with young children prepare to sleep for the night at the bus station.

 

Throughout the night, police monitored the area to ensure that children did not wander into traffic.

Olga Berki, pictured with her granddaughter, fled from Badalo, Transcarpathia, leaving behind her husband and other family members, including an uncle who died fighting Russian forces.

Olga (right) and her daughter Kata (left, holding her daughter) are now living here.


 

Many displaced persons are either paying for their own housing or staying with family, friends, or volunteers, struggling to find stability amid the ongoing war.

Civic organizations warn that the new legislation could leave thousands of refugees homeless, as many lack the means or are unwilling to return home while Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues.

Government commissioner Norbert Pal defended the change as "reasonable and proportionate" after 2 1/2 years of war. He told the pro-government Magyar Nemzet newspaper that "those who wanted to get back on their feet in Hungary have been able to do so."

When Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the European Union Council activated its 2001 Temporary Protection Directive, granting Ukrainian refugees residency, access to public service, and the labor market in host countries.

There are currently 4.19 million displaced Ukrainians across the EU -- with over 1.2 million in Germany, nearly a 1 million in Poland, and 400,000 in the Czech Republic -- dwarfing the numbers in Hungary.