(haipo) - Since the war broke out in October 2023, Haifa has taken in about 3,200 evacuees, most of them from the northern settlements, Kiryat Shmona and Shlomi. Alongside this, 821 children and students were absorbed into the city's education system. A year later, with the expansion of the war to Haifa, we went out to check the situation of the evacuees in the city - how many of them remained in the city and how many left it in the meantime?
In recent weeks, a significant decrease in the presence of evacuees in the main hotels in the area of the Carmel center in Haifa can be observed. The hotel rooms, which were previously lit and filled with guests from the evacuated communities, are now in partial darkness, which indicates the changes in the situation of the evacuees in the city. Following this, we contacted the Haifa municipality to check the current situation of the evacuees and how many of them remained in the city.

A decrease in the number of evacuees in the city
As of today, only about 700 evacuees stay in hotels in Haifa, compared to thousands at the beginning of the war. The evacuees were initially housed in 12 hotels and dormitories of the Technion and the University, and were closely accompanied by intervention teams established by the Municipality of Haifa. These teams were composed of social workers, psychologists, community workers and the education administration.
For four months, the teams accompanied the families in the acclimatization process, assisted them in receiving community services and built ad hoc communities in each accommodation center. Afterwards, the evacuees were gradually transferred to the responsibility of the local authorities from which they came.
272 students remain in the educational system in the city
Since the beginning of the war until today, 821 male and female students have been absorbed into the city's education system. Of these, as of today 17/11/24 publication of the article, 272 students remain, who continue to study in educational institutions adapted to their needs. The receiving schools and kindergartens were adapted to the special needs of the students, including age, educational stream, proximity to the place of residence and unique needs.
The educational institutions in the city, accompanied by the psychological service teams, quickly mobilized to absorb the children, when some were placed in groups and some were integrated individually into classes. Dozens of educators who were also evacuated from the north integrated into the education system in the city, and provided significant reinforcement to the local teams.
Continue providing targeted assistance
The Haifa Municipality stated that the 700 evacuees who are still staying in the hotels in the city receive services from the welfare authorities in their cities of origin and also from the Haifa Municipality, which assists as needed. Alongside this, the municipal welfare services worked to develop special facilities, such as activity complexes for youth, employment and leisure activities for veterans. Haifa, which became a focal point following the expansion of the war, managed to take in thousands of evacuees and provide them with educational, social and mental support. The departure of most of the evacuees marks the end of an important phase in the process, but the city continues to provide assistance to those who remain and integrate them into the Haifa community.
I wonder where the evacuees went, who did not stay in the city. Did they return home, despite the danger? Have they moved to live in other settlements? And what are the reasons for this?
It is also interesting to follow and refer to what the commenters wrote here; Abigail, the worried mother and Elijah, who received reports even though he has rights and of course the question of the high property tax in the city, it is not clear where it flows.
I am evicted, I rented an apartment in the center of Carmel, pay a high property tax and everything and we deserve free parking and I already have 3 parking reports that the municipality does not cancel even though we deserve free parking
The municipality of Haifa would be wise to encourage some of the evacuees to stay in the city.
After decades of negative immigration and some other known demographic problems
It won't hurt the city to have a couple of thousand good families with young children.
hey…
I am evacuated from Kiryat Shmona, I read the article you just sent. It is true that the Haifa congregation wrapped it up and significantly eased our needs at the beginning. But I can tell you that today, as a mother whose twins study in first grade at Ilanot School in Haifa, I am simply disappointed by Yona Yahav's decision to return the children to the frameworks like this! My children's protected space is simply sitting under the windows in the hallway in front of their classroom.
It's just that their learning sequence was destroyed, my confidence as a mother was shaken to send them to school. And then again they return to the same loop because of which I came here and their routine is destroyed.
What can I do to make it easier for my children? How can I give them the routine they deserve??? There have been so many changes since the beginning of the war that the heart simply cannot contain the fact that once again their confidence is shaken!😔
I know you are not the address for all of this, but I had to vent because no party is willing to listen!
Yona Yahav is a bad, spineless mayor who will do whatever the government tells him to do. As it was in 2006. He does not find it problematic that his residents play Russian roulette every time they leave the house. Bibi is a bad prime minister who brought us all "this good" and he really doesn't care how many people will suffer to preserve the worst government that has ever been here.
Unfortunately, part of the overall picture is often written here.
And as you said absolute to present one side.
stay strong