House and Home: Locals Loath to Part With Refugees in Finnish Idyll

The authorities and the residents of the tiny town of Kyyjärvi in Central Finland filed a request to Minister of Internal Affairs Paula Risikko not to close down the local reception center for refugees. Previously, dozens of reception centers across Finland have been shut down, as the raging migrant crisis is winding down, Finnish national broadcaster Yle reported.

Earlier, authorities reported that the center in Kyyjärvi will close in November, whereupon the refugees will be transferred to other centers. According to Kyyjärvi residents, the refugees breathed new life into the plain provincial town. However, Risikko did not address the appeal, signed by half of Kyyjärvi residents, saying that the issue was within the competence of the Immigration Service.

Last year, Kyyjärvi, which has a population of 1,300, received around 70 asylum-seekers, mainly from Afghanistan. The refugee crowd included both single young men and families with children, some of which were even born in Kyyjärvi.

​Unlike many other Nordic communities, which have experienced problems with idle asylum-seekers prowling the streets for adventure, Kyyjärvi has seen nothing but peace and harmony. Many of the refugees are employed at the local concrete plant, where both bosses and fellow workers have been very satisfied with their new colleagues with exotic names.

Director of the local reception center Tomi Kuosmanen admitted that the community at first reacted with fear at the news of the refugees' arrival. In particular, young girls were afraid for their safety, following a streak of sexual assaults involving migrants across the whole of Scandinavia. However, the public mood soon changed, and no problems occurred locally.

Kousmanen takes particular pride in the fact that his center never demanded a police presence. According to him, this is largely due to cooperation between authorities and the locals, who manifested model hospitality. Unlike many places, Kyyjärvi residents began to actively establish contacts with the newcomers and even invited them to visit their homes. At school, children are said to be almost competing who has the most refugee peers in their class.

According to local mom Anna-Marie Koskelo, refugees have rejuvenated the quiet provincial town, creating an atmosphere of tolerance and reciprocity.

Even if the authorities eventually decide to move out the reception center, the head of Kyyjärvi municipality Eero Ylitalo expressed hope that something good will still be left. The fact is that the newcomers taught the famously reserved and taciturn Finns to call each other by name and shake hands when greeting.