An emergency accommodation unit for asylum seekers is planned to open in Forssa

There are plans to open a temporary emergency accommodation unit for asylum seekers in the premises of the former Hotel Rantasipi in Forssa. The unit will be under the administration of the Lammi Reception Centre, which is maintained by the Finnish Red Cross. According to the plans, the centre will accommodate 250 asylum seekers and the tenancy agreement with Villa Eden Care Oy will be valid until the end of the year.

The City of Forssa will form its opinion on the establishment of the emergency accommodation unit at the city executive meeting on Monday 24 August. The chief executive will propose that the city executive adopts a positive stance on the matter. If the City’s stance is positive, the first asylum seekers will be placed in Forssa approximately one week after the decision of the city executive.

The emergency accommodation unit will provide employment for approximately 13 people.

The number of asylum seekers has increased considerably

During the summer, the number of asylum seekers has increased considerably everywhere in Europe. By the end of last week, almost 5,300 people had sought asylum in Finland. In 2014, the total number of asylum seekers was 3,651. Most asylum seekers have arrived in Finland from Iraq, Somalia, Albania and Afghanistan. The number of Syrians has also increased during the summer.

The most recent estimates from the Finnish Immigration Service suggest that the number of those applying for asylum in Finland this year might go up to as many as 15,000. This new estimate, which is 10,000 higher than previous estimates, is based on the number of applications received this summer. However, the final figure may also be considerably lower.

There are currently 25 reception centres in Finland. All reception centres are full at the moment and extra places are created in all of them to accommodate asylum seekers. The Finnish Immigration Service aims to establish several new reception centres during the autumn. The state pays all reception centre costs.

At the moment, the Finnish Red Cross maintains reception centres and their premises in Rovaniemi, Kemi, Tornio, Ruukki, Harjavalta, Mänttä-Vilppula, Kristiinankaupunki, Turku, Punkalaidun and Tampere. The Red Cross has notified the Finnish Immigration Service of its preparedness to give additional support if needed.

Further information:

Minna Jussila
Director, the reception centres of the Häme District of the Finnish Red Cross (Lammi and Mänttä-Vilppula)
040 509 8132, firstname.lastname@punainenristi.fi

Jorma Kuuluvainen
Director, Reception Unit, Finnish Immigration Service
0295 430 431, firstname.lastname@migri.fi

Visa Knape
Senior Adviser, Reception Unit, Finnish Immigration Service
0295 430 431, firstname.lastname@migri.fi

Sami Sulkko
Chief Executive, Forssa
050 564 0001, firstname.lastname@forssa.fi