Le Figaro: French “on the edge”

Le Figaro: French “on the edge”

Two months after the influx of Ukrainian refugees into France, the citizens of the country, who sheltered the migrants, begin to feel exhaustion, writes Le Figaro. According to the French, the state does not help with the maintenance of Ukrainians, and all the costs are borne by the homeowners. In addition, most who wished to help did not expect that a life together with strangers will last so long, the newspaper notes.

Many French people who have decided to take in Ukrainian refugees, two months after the outbreak of hostilities begin to feel disappointment, Le Figaro reports. According to the French Office for Immigration and Integration, about 70 thousand Ukrainians in France currently receive state benefits amounting to € 426 per month. However, this is often not enough to ensure the autonomy of refugees, in addition, it takes several weeks to process it.

Thus, the responsibility for providing for the needs of migrants falls on the shoulders of foster families.

“We felt it was necessary to help. We knew we would take in a family at no cost: on the other hand, we didn’t think about the endless time and money we would have to spend to help them,” laments Sophie Agier.

This mother of four put at the disposal of a Ukrainian family with two children a small studio adjacent to her house on a vegetable farm near Tours. First they had to clothe the refugees, who arrived penniless with a small set of winter clothes, then they had to provide them with basic necessities and groceries.

According to the woman, the municipality denied food aid to the foster family, and the nearest soup kitchen, where Ukrainians could eat, was too far away. “To make ends meet, you have to constantly advertise, make phone calls, ask, insist. Public assistance from the municipality and the department was practically zero,” complains the Frenchwoman.

While Ukrainian refugees do qualify for asylum seeker benefits, the French who provide them with housing do not receive any special payments for their assistance, the newspaper explains.

“When I look for private individuals to house Ukrainians, the question of costs almost always comes up.  Living alone or four, five or more is not the same in terms of costs,” testifies Red Cross volunteer in Amiens Maxime Daly.

For some time now, a Ukrainian woman and her two children have been staying in his small two-room apartment, while he himself sleeps on the couch in a friend’s apartment. “I gave myself two months to give them time to get back on their feet,” he says hopefully.

Jean-Michel Allix of Bordeaux, who has been housing five Ukrainians in his 95 m2 apartment since mid-March, has seen his shopping expenses rise from €300 to €1,600 a month. “In the long run, it’s starting to take its toll. I had hoped that they would quickly become self-sufficient, but without speaking French, it is almost impossible to find work,” he lamented.

Many French volunteers did not foresee the extent of their commitments if the military action dragged on, as it eventually did, writes the publication. Corinne Pelissier of Nice offered the room of her eldest son, who moved to Paris, to a Ukrainian woman with three children.

“I thought it would be temporary: either the war would stop quickly, or the public services would offer us a long-term solution,” she admits.

As a result, the family has had to learn to live with six people in a three-room apartment, constantly folding and unfolding the couch in the living room where the two children sleep.

“There’s no more intimacy, no more family life. My oldest son can’t come home for the vacations,” she regrets.

Jean-Michel Allix has given up “any social or family life.” After a month, he feels driven to the limit. “They have to be accompanied on trips, shopping, administrative procedures. I’m overwhelmed and get very little sleep,” says the Frenchman. Beyond that, there are the difficulties of living together. There was one family in his house in which two young Ukrainian women “didn’t lift a finger,” and went to bed and got up very late. “Just princesses, it’s hard to deal with,” he sighs. And then there’s the kid who writes on the walls, forcing him to scrub them to no end.

Despite this, the Frenchmen interviewed by the newspaper do not regret their decision, the newspaper notes

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