Earlier this year, former foreign minister Jean Asselborn announced plans to shut the centre by the end of 2023 due to reports of substandard living conditions. The new government, however, says it can ill afford to give up the space due to lack of capacity to deal with incoming asylum seekers.
New minister Max Hahn confirmed the Don Bosco centre would remain open for the foreseeable future, in response to a parliamentary question submitted by The Left.
The authorities plan to help people who have been granted asylum status in Luxembourg to find a new home away from the National Reception Office (ONA) structures. However, Hahn highlighted it was down to each individual to contact the relevant services, as well as accept the offers of accommodation issued to them.
Since the start of the year, around 60 people have departed the Don Bosco centre, 24 of whom found a private residence. The rest have been given accommodation in other ONA centres.
Hahn explained that, in the event of a final decision to close a centre, inhabitants would receive several months’ warning prior to the closure. People who have been granted protection status, and are therefore no longer officially entitled to a bed at a centre belonging to the ONA, would have to find alternative housing. The minister said these individuals would receive support, but without a guarantee that social services will be able to find a solution for everyone.
