Ruovesi Reception Centre to move to Mänttä-Vilppula
The operations of the Ruovesi Reception Centre will be transferred in stages to Mänttä-Vilppula, in the neighbouring municipality, towards the end of the year. The initiative for this measure came from the Häme District of the Finnish Red Cross. The Finnish Immigration Service, which runs reception centre activities for asylum seekers, has decided to implement the move.
The Finnish Red Cross has withdrawn from the rental agreement for the Ruovesi facilities. Activities on the old premises will cease by the end of the year. Families with children will be the first to move to Mänttä-Vilppula, in mid-August, allowing the children to begin school in the new municipality. Most asylum seekers in Ruovesi will move to Mänttä-Vilppula at the beginning of December.
Savings and greater independence the reason behind the move
Financial savings and increasing the independence of asylum seekers are the reasons behind the move. In addition, the basic activities of the reception centre will be rendered more efficient.
The Ruovesi facilities are located seven kilometres from the municipal centre. This means that transport has to be organised to provide customers with access to shops, schools and other basic services. At Mänttä-Vilppula, all customers and the reception centre's office facilities will be situated in town rental premises, close to basic services. Moving the entire operation from the institution to rented accommodation in Ruovesi would not have been possible. Expected savings in rent alone are estimated at over 150,000 euros per year.
The move from an institution to rented accommodation will also ease the lives of asylum seekers, as well as increasing their own activeness and ability to handle everyday chores.
The change represents a step towards The Finnish Immigration Service's aim of gradually switching reception activities from an institution to an accommodation-based model.
Accommodation places in units for minors reduced from 1st September
In group homes and supported housing units, the Finnish Immigration Service will reduce its number of accommodation places for asylum seekers who arrived as unaccompanied minors, by 41 from 1st September. These reductions will be carried out in Espoo, Turku, Punkalaidun and Siuntio.
- Espoo's 35 accommodation places will be reduced by 14. At the same time, the Ingas Group Home and Siltatalo supported housing unit will be combined into a single new group home, to be opened in Lippajärvi, at the current premises of the Espoo Shelter, by the end of the year.
- Turku's 35 places will be reduced by seven. The reduction will affect the group home, with no reductions in places in supported housing unit.
- Punkalaidun's 35 places will be decreased by 14: seven from the group home and seven from supported housing unit.
- Siuntio's 34 places will be reduced by six. The reduction will affect supported housing unit, with no reductions in places in the group home.
The reduction in the number of accommodation places is due to a fall in the number of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum. A total of 706 such asylum seekers arrived in Finland in 2008, since when the number has fallen every year. Some 153 arrived in 2011. Figures for early 2012 suggest that 120 will arrive in Finland this year.
Further information for the media
Veikko Pyykkönen, Senior Adviser, tel. +358 (0)71 873 0431, e-mail: firstname.lastname@migri.fi
