Our colleagues from 7sur7 (Belgium) collected this testimony:
“We quickly realized that this is no ordinary Ukrainian family. Two weeks later the CPAS informed us that they were Roma gypsies. For example, the members of this family did not know how to operate a washing machine, a dryer, an oven… All these devices were unknown to them. The mother washed the laundry in our bathtub. »
Result after several weeks of occupation? “Mildew was everywhere on the windows, the walls were covered with inscriptions, the wood of the bed frame was cracked, the doors and cabinets were damaged. But that’s not all: all the chairs in the kitchen were broken, the molding was torn off the stairs, there were holes in the floor, our children’s toys were broken, even their piggy bank was opened. . »
” At that point, the family hadn’t been there long, so we decided to give it a second chance. The woman asked for a job for her husband. We had found three places where he could work, but he didn’t want to. He always found an excuse. »
One day Sven discovered that the “Ukrainian” refugees were hosting another family in the house. “Another woman, her husband and three children lived with us. They were sublet. At one point there were more than 11 people in the house. This could have caused major problems in the event of a fire, for example, as we had been persuaded to let them check in at our home address. They also kept asking us for money. Once it was supposed to be a birthday present for her youngest daughter, but it turned out to be a car, even though we knew the man didn’t have a driver’s license. When they broke our son’s birth gift it was the last straw. In September we said (…) that they really had to move, but it took them until the end of November to leave. They didn’t come until the end of December to collect all their belongings. It was a real mess. »
After the family left, Sven and Evy realized the extent of the damage to their home. ” The total cost was 36,000 euros, and that’s not even including everything. The CPAS then informed us that we would not receive any compensation. We were advised to sue the family concerned in the Magistrate’s Court. We will do it, but the family lives on an integration income. How will they pay for it? We understand that 36,000 euros is a lot of money, but the CPAS could have covered part of the damage, which has been proven. »