A few weeks ago, about 50 Bulgarian berry pickers came to Älvsbyn.
Some of the berry pickers told SVT Norrbotten that they had been promised housing and the opportunity to earn money, but none of it was fulfilled.
No campsites could accommodate the Bulgarians
Last week, Älvsbyn municipality announced that it would help the vulnerable families with children.
But they never managed to get housing for the berry pickers in their own municipality.
- They called around to campsites in the immediate area and in nearby municipalities and got a pacifier - it was at the campsite in Arvidsjaur, says Älvsbyn's municipal manager Anna Lindberg.
Anna Lindberg says that she does not know why it was difficult to house the berry pickers.
- I do not know what has been said but take for granted that they have described the situation and asked if there were opportunities to receive them.
Collaborates with the Bulgarian Embassy
At Camp Gielas in Arvidsjaur, a total of 14 people are housed today.
The group includes two families with children.
According to the existing plan, the berry pickers will be able to travel home this week.
- This is a collaboration with the Bulgarian embassy and then the idea is to return home on August 11, so now on Wednesday, says the mayor Anna Lindberg.
Cheated here by the "bear baron"
The Bulgarians belong to a group of about 50 people who came to Sweden to pick berries.
They ended up at a rest area in Älvsbyn municipality where they were forced to live in simple tents without food or water.
The berry pickers testified about how they were deceived by a person, who goes by the name "bear baron" in the media, and that those promises of merit were not fulfilled.
The abandoned berry pickers received help from private individuals in the area who, among other things, collected money for food.
At the end of last week, with the help of Älvsbyn municipality, they were able to get accommodation at a campsite in Arvidsjaur and on Wednesday they can travel home with the help of the Bulgarian embassy.