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Foreign unaccompanied minors/orphans Searching for assistance for minors arriving without their parents
DO YOU FEEL LIKE A VICTIM AND NEED HELP? What to do
>You want to open your home to a child or young person Foster families for Unaccompanied Minor Refugees (UMR) What to do
Among the refugees arriving from Ukraine, several unaccompanied minors have been taken care of by the Red Cross in particular. Some of these minors only had their parents’ telephone number scrawled on their hands.
A series of initiatives have already been put in place concerning management of the reception of foreign unaccompanied minors. Organisations or associations such as ONE (host family approval service), DEI (Défense Enfants International), AISPN (Association des infirmiers spécialisés en pédiatrie/néonatologie), MSF Belgique, Médecins du monde, CROIX rouge Belgique, UNICEF Belgique… etc. should soon meet to coordinate their actions as much as possible..
On the Dutch-speaking side, Minor-Ndako offers care and support tailored to children, young people and their context in a difficult situation. They are particularly active in the reception of Ukrainian minors. Finally, the association Solentra (linked to the UZ Brussel hospital) offers, based on its expertise in transcultural psychiatry, care and psychological support to young refugees and migrant children, as well as to their families.
Read also: Ukrainian refugee children and teenagers in Brussels: how to help them?
The Centre for General Welfare Work (CAW) have produced the following materials about their services:
Leaflet about the services of CAW for refugees:
Leaflet about services of CAW for ⦁ host families and volunteers
Leaflet about services of CAW ⦁ for professionals
Trouble sleeping, worrying and stress? A guide for people with a migrant background: brochure in several languages, including Ukrainian
Framework for accommodation's occupation in the Brussels Region
12/05/2022
Like any citizen, a Temporary Protected Person may use a short-term lease(1) to formalize the occupancy of housing.
However, some situations do not allow the use of this document. This is the case for:
- Sharing a host's home when the space dedicated to the host has no separate entrance, no private kitchen and bathroom;
- The occupation of an accommodation whose usual use is different from the dwelling. For example, office space, religious congregations, etc. currently used as temporary housing.
In order to provide a framework for the occupation of these accommodations, the Brussels Region makes available
- A temporary occupation agreement
This document formalizes the provision of accommodation by the host to the guest. In particular, it regulates the payment of charges and a possible maximum occupancy fee, which may or may not be requested by the host. Please note that the temporary occupation agreement is not subject to the law on leases.
The temporary occupancy agreement is encouraged for the long term, from 1 month to 18 months maximum. .
Download the document
The temporary occupancy agreement for a shorter period is also possible at the request of the guest and without occupancy indemnity.
Download the document
- A charter of cohabitation
This document aims to support cohabitation. It offers a non-exhaustive list of topics to be discussed together so that there are no misunderstandings about daily habits and customs.
These documents are available in 5 languages, French et Dutch but also Ukrainian, Russian and English. Each person can browse them in his or her own language.
(1) A model lease is available in French, Russian, English, Ukrainian et en Dutch. The duration is to be chosen in point 3.
Ukrainian refugees with disabilities: assistance from the PHARE Service
02/05/2022
Since 4 March 2022, Ukrainian refugees on European soil have benefited from the European Union's temporary protection status, which gives them the same rights as European Union citizens. This status is valid for a period of one year and renewable twice for a period of six additional months. It should be noted that, under certain international conventions, persons under the age of 18 with disabilities are automatically eligible for assistance from the PHARE Service (provided that the disability is recognised and the person lives in Brussels). Information on obtaining temporary protection status is available on the Home Affairs website.
What assistance is available for people with disabilities?
1. Assistance is available, for which you must be admitted to the PHARE Service:
• Material assistance, for example. A person with a disability may need equipment to help with daily living. If they have received authorisation from PHARE, they can purchase this equipment and then receive reimbursement. All the information on material assistance can be found on the [PHARE Service website.](https://phare.irisnet.be/aides-à-l-inclusion/aides-individuelles/les-aides-individuelles-à-l-intégration/
• There is also employment aid: employers who hire a person with a disability who has been admitted to the PHARE Service can obtain aid from the PHARE Service, such as an adapted computer, or a grant. All the information on employment aid can be found on the PHARE Service website.
• You must also be admitted to PHARE to receive a place in a day centre or a residential centre. And also to be able to work in an adapted work company.
To be eligible for the PHARE Service and obtain these aids, the following conditions must be met:
• be under 65 years of age;
• live in the Brussels Region;
• have a mental or physical disability.
All the information about admission to PHARE can be found on the PHARE Service website. Then, to obtain assistance, you must submit a request for intervention. Requesting admission and requesting intervention are two different requests. Intervention may be requested after or at the same time as admission. But you cannot request an intervention before you request admission.
2. And then there is also aid for which it is not necessary to be admitted by the PHARE Service: for example, aid from the support services.
The support services help people with disabilities with many daily life tasks, such as finding a home, finding a job, finding a nursery for babies, attending school or studying, filling out administrative documents, participating in leisure activities, supporting parents and relatives, and more.
All the information on support services can be found on the PHARE Service website.
Other useful links
www.phare.irisnet.be - The PHARE Service website contains a lot of information on disability. Information is also provided on the disability support offered by other government agencies.
www.handicap.belgium.be - The website of the DGPH, the Belgian federal administration in charge of assistance for people with disabilities: allowances and parking card for people with disabilities, etc.
www.iriscare.brussels - Iriscare is a Brussels-based organisation that also deals with some of the assistance for people with disabilities: family allowance supplements, home help, personal assistance budget, mobility aids, etc.
