Municipal authorities in Saxony are sending out termination letters for 650 apartments in the towns of Aue, Zschopau and Marienberg.
The letters have informed the residents that they have four weeks to find a new place to live, otherwise they may face eviction.
War refugees to be moved on
The district has decided to prioritize its emergency housing for people predominantly from Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey, who are going through an asylum procedure in the region.
Ukrainians are recognized as war refugees in Germany. They do not receive asylum seeker benefits, but rather citizens’ benefits like needy Germans. This classification means that they have to find their own accommodation.
After the start of the war in 2022 and the flight of many families, the district fast tracked the Ukrainians into the asylum apartments.
The letter, published in local newspaper ‘Freie Presse’, told the refugees “we hereby request that you immediately find your own living space and leave the apartment provided to you by June 15, 12 noon. As of this date, we will revoke the use of the apartment.”
Mistake by local authorities
“This is a case of misallocation,” a spokesperson told German daily BILD.
District Administrator Rico Anton has been sounding the alarm for months that his district has run out of accommodation for asylum seekers and that tent cities or container villages will be required.
In addition to the European elections in June, local elections are also due to be held in Saxony - followed by state elections in September. The latest polls put the right wing AfD party ahead with 34%.
The Ore Mountains are considered a stronghold of the far-right Free Saxons. An insider told BILD that “if tent cities are added in rural areas, this would give a boost to far-right parties.”
BILD reported that the local authorities want to find individual solutions for Ukrainians that take longer to find accommodation.
Only those who refuse to move will be evicted and given a bed in the emergency accommodation in a gymnasium in the district.
