Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - The state of North Rhine-Westphalia wants to increase the capacity in accommodation in the state for the reception and accommodation of Ukrainian refugees. By the beginning of October, the current 3,400 places are to be increased to 4,500, as Minister for Escape and Integration Josefine Paul (Greens) announced on Monday.
So-called stand-by facilities are to be gradually put into operation for this purpose. In addition, there is still a space reserve in the existing (emergency) accommodation, which is now being converted into spaces that can be booked.
At the beginning of September, the state facilities were almost full with around 3,300 refugees, according to the ministry. It is therefore planned to maintain the higher capacity of 4500 seats until the end of March 2023.
As of the end of August, around 207,000 refugees from Ukraine were in NRW. The largest demographic group are women between the ages of 18 and 63, accounting for more than 40 percent. Almost 73,000 people are under the age of 18 - in contrast, only around 15,000 people are older than 64.
