Diaconia’s Ukrainian Counseling Center counsels Ukrainian refugees in Vienna. As the manager explained in an interview, many people are now toying with the idea of staying longer in Austria. The reason is that there is no end in sight to war.
VIENNA/OTTAKRING. The war in Ukraine has been going on for over a year. Since then, many people have come to Austria and have had to flee their home country. Many of the refugees also come to Vienna and take advantage of various counseling services there – including in Ottakring, where Diakonie operates her counseling center in Ukraine.
The APA has now granted an interview to its director, Claudia Lui. Women in particular would seek advice on a variety of topics, 75 to 80 percent of clients are female. According to Lui, around 13,000 people have received guidance in Ottakring since the beginning of the war.
According to the center’s head, many of the Ukrainian women now argue every month whether they should come back. However, they cannot build a future there at the moment. More and more displaced people are gradually becoming aware that they may have to create their prospects in Austria.
If the children integrate, the parents stay
It is therefore “quite likely” that family reunifications will take place in Austria rather than Ukraine in the future. Lui sees a particular anchor in children: “The sooner children are socialized in Austria, the sooner parents will be.”
Of course, there were also some changes in families as a result of the elopement. Many Ukrainian women in Austria have to take on the mothering role much more intensely than before – because many women suddenly became single mothers when they fled. At home, grandparents would have taken more care of the little ones. For this reason, many Ukrainian women are currently working part-time jobs in order not to leave their children alone in unfamiliar surroundings for longer than is absolutely necessary.
Ukrainians are still welcome
Currently, displaced Ukrainians have residency in Austria until March 2024. A long-term residence permit could create more prospects. This is the basis, for example, for signing a three-year lease or starting an apprenticeship and can convince people to learn German as a foreign language. Lui would find it helpful if displaced people, who often suffer from previous illnesses, could receive a care allowance. She views the climate in society positively, where displaced Ukrainians “are still welcome”.
Although men also come to the Ukraine counseling center, as mentioned, they are a minority. Many are mostly elderly or disabled. Since the beginning of the war, men have only been allowed to leave the country under certain circumstances, as part of the general mobilization for Ukrainian recruits between the ages of 18 and 60 they have been banned from leaving the country.
Many topics covered in the counseling center
There are 60 to 70 consultations per day. Diakonie wants to “cover all issues or problem areas as broadly as possible,” said Lui. You deal with housing issues, for example questions about energy prices and private apartments, as well as integration into the labor market and provide social counseling and medico-social advice. According to Lui, the Austrian labor market could take advantage of those expelled – for example, in the medical, educational and technical fields. Most of its clients have university qualifications.
Do you think the war in Ukraine will end soon?
People are well digitized, can learn German quickly, find their way around and often help each other. “What I also really like about the Ukrainians is that they don’t get disqualified so easily,” said Lui. They would like to enter the job market with qualifications. From an economic and therefore selfish point of view, Austria would do well to accommodate the people of Ukraine.
You might also be interested in:
Ukraine landing center in former WU opened
Samaritan Association Vienna takes stock
Access to the labor market for Ukrainian refugees is becoming easier
Anna Gasser crowns herself world champion in Bakuriani