Final Word from Monday, July 3, 2023

Tighter conditions for providing housing support to Ukrainian refugees took effect on Sat., and tens of thousands of them could end up having financial difficulties or no place to live. Landlords will no longer receive rent payments directly, and the amount the qualifying refugees now receive for rent won't be enough in many cases to assure them a place to live. Daniel Hůle of People in Need criticized the abrupt change in policy and said that it's partly seen as a way to force as many refugees as possible to return to Ukraine, leaving only those most in need of support. Interior Min. Vít Rakušan signaled one of the other goals of the government several months ago, when he said that, "If about 100,000 people remained here [after the war is over], it could have a positive long-term economic impact on socioeconomic indicators, such as the pension system." The Czech government wants to keep about 100,000 of Ukraine's best and brightest, and this new housing policy will start separating them out. [ Czech Republic irredentism Ukraine ]