Vaud refugees report nightmares after months in underground shelters

Around 100 refugees in the canton of Vaud have spent several months in underground civil protection shelters because the cantonal agency responsible for migrant accommodation lacks places. The conditions are taking a toll on residents’ health, SRF reported.

Juri Smirnow, a Ukrainian man in his 40s, has been staying in a shelter in Clarens for several months. He told French-language broadcaster RTS that dirt, poor lighting, inadequate ventilation and cramped conditions had badly affected his health. He said he was having nightmares and reliving scenes from the war. Smirnow has decided to sleep outside rather than in the shelter.

A physics student and other young men also described difficulties. The noise, the student said, made it hard to focus on his studies, projects and degree. Nearly 60 people are housed in three dormitories at Clarens, while about 50 live in another civil protection shelter in Echallens.

The shelters are reserved for men, with exemptions for people who have health problems. The Vaud Establishment for the Reception of Migrants (EVAM) says residents’ immigration status is not a factor. EVAM puts the average stay in the Clarens and Echallens shelters at just under three months, while the men interviewed by RTS said they had been there for four to six months.

EVAM director Erich Dürst said the conditions were far from ideal and that the law allowed such accommodation only as a last resort. He said the agency lacked enough places, citing an increase in people seeking refuge since the start of the war in Ukraine, a tight property market and budget constraints. Buildings suitable for collective accommodation are difficult to find, he said, and housing must also be distributed fairly across the canton. EVAM is seeking 400 places for next year and may open more civil protection shelters if it cannot find them.

A little over 1% of the 8,906 people housed by EVAM this autumn are staying in underground facilities. Most are in apartments, 5,535 people, or collective accommodation, 3,371. More than 200 people are staying with private hosts through the “Host a migrant” programme. Several organisations, including the Swiss Refugee Council, say underground civil protection shelters are unsuitable for housing refugees.