Luxembourg has welcomed a new citizen platform aimed at encouraging resident families to welcome refugees into their homes, OH! Open Home- Oppent Haus.
The new OH! Open Home- Oppent Haus platform aims to raise awareness and inform Luxembourgish residents of the situation of refugees and asylum seekers in Luxembourg by bringing them together through informal meetings twice a month.
OH! Collaborates with other Luxembourgish associations and is planning to also open up this platform to residents who are facing difficulties with housing.
Currently, asylum seekers are housed in public refugee welcome centres. However, these are becoming overcrowded and cannot be considered as mid-term housing solutions. Living conditions in these centres are often difficult, for instance there is a lack of privacy and sometimes problems between cohabitants. As such, many asylum seekers want to leave these centres, especially those who have been living there for more than one year and are still awaiting a response concerning their status.
In the light of this urgent situation which affects both residents and refugees, OH! has been given the mission of reopening the housing debate.
The platform is working towards more solidarity in Luxembourg. Indeed, it is a complicated situation which affects various sectors of society from education and employment to housing and culture. However, OH! is working towards its goal on a more human level, through meetings between residents and refugees in Luxembourg so as to create integration.
There will be a meeting on 26 November 2016 at Hariko (1, Dernier Sol, Bonnevoie) from 11:30 until 13:30. For more information, email openhomelu@gmail.com.
