A refugee reception centre in Eich, initially slated for closure earlier this year, will now remain open until spring 2025, as authorities work to rehouse residents amid the country's ongoing housing challenges.

On Wednesday, Luxembourg news outlet Luxemburger Wort reported that a refugee reception centre in Eich is set to shut down. The closure was initially planned for earlier this year, but the Ministry for Family Affairs, Solidarity, Living Together and Reception of Refugees has since pushed the closing date back to spring 2025.

The centre holds 70 beds, around half of which are designated for asylum seekers still awaiting the outcome of their application. These individuals will be rehoused by the National Reception Office (ONA). The remainder of the spaces are for people who already have their immigration status in Luxembourg. Currently this applies to 41 people.

Minister Max Hahn explains that these people are to be treated as Luxembourg residents: "The tricky thing here is that a lot of people come to Luxembourg to seek asylum without necessarily being aware of the difficult housing situation we have in this country. And sadly, this is only evident in situations such as this one. This also contributes to the high number of people still living in ONA centres, despite being granted immigration status some time ago.

"Of course, this is not satisfactory, but in a country like Luxembourg, where many Luxembourgers also experience issues finding housing, this is no different for refugees, and of course we don't want to differentiate between residents and refugees."

There are currently 74 accommodations for refugees in the Grand Duchy, but only a small number of these belong to the State. The remainder are owned privately. As a result, it is not unusual for refugee accommodation to close down due to the owner wishing to repurpose the building. The individuals affected are always notified in time, Hahn said, pointing out that in the case of the Eich centre, residents were notified in February this year.