Redaccion
The Minister of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migrations, Elma Saiz, highlighted that the creation of the Ukraine House in Torrevieja (Alicante), the first in Spain, is «a symbol of support, unity, and hope» between the Spanish Government and the Ukrainian Government «in difficult times.»
Saiz expressed this during the inauguration of this space, which was also attended by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Unity of Ukraine, Oleksiy Chernyshov. Both signed a joint declaration to promote the creation of Ukraine Houses in Spain.
Saiz emphasized, «From Spain, we remain fully committed to supporting Ukraine in all areas: political, humanitarian, financial, and in the country’s reconstruction. We are aware that the Ukrainian people are not only resisting but also working every day to rebuild their present and future. And on that path, Spain will continue to stand by their side.»
The minister pointed out that «the Government, with the support of the European Union (EU), has allocated more than 1.530 billion euros» for the care of the Ukrainian community in Spain.
«In Spain, you have a place where you are welcome: you are in a country that welcomes you, supports you, and will continue to be by your side. And this new Ukraine House will be a space for support, but also for hope and unity,» Saiz emphasized.
She added, «What started as an emergency measure has now become a space where we strengthen our cooperation, advancing in the creation of more solid and lasting structures to support the Ukrainian community in Spain,» she added, later emphasizing that with this Ukraine House, «another step is taken on that path.»
217,000 UKRAINIANS ASSISTED IN THE CREADE
The Ukraine House in Torrevieja is located in the facilities of the Reception, Care, and Referral Center (Creade) intended for displaced persons from Ukraine and which the Ministry launched in 2022, at the beginning of the Russian invasion. In this Alicante municipality, 48,000 people have been assisted since then, and if we add up the figures from the other enabled spaces in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Malaga, and Barcelona, 217,000 Ukrainians have passed through them.
The goal of the House is to provide «information, advice, support, and job opportunities» to those in need. Additionally, it aims to become «a meeting point, a link to Ukrainian culture and identity, and a space to continue building community.»
In this way, Spain joins the ‘Unity Hub’ project, with the aim of «creating centers in Europe to support and advise Ukrainian refugees,» as highlighted by the Ministry in a statement.
The department led by Saiz points out that Spain is the fourth country in the EU in terms of temporary protection grants to people arriving from Ukraine, with a total of 238,404.
They also detail that 40,810 people have passed through the International and Temporary Protection Reception System (Sapit) since the beginning of the conflict in 2022. Of these, 6,045 are still being cared for. They also note that 313,000 Ukrainians live in Spanish territory.
