In association with
Omroep Gelderland
NOS News•today, 7:08 PM
The municipality of Arnhem has made agreements with the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) about the realization of 1,700 long-term reception places for asylum seekers. The intention is for the shelters to remain in use for thirty years. In addition, 250 temporary shelter places will be added.
With the additional shelter places, the municipality wants to contribute to combating the shelter crisis. “The current form of asylum reception is too snappy and moves from crisis to crisis,” says Arnhem councilor Paul Smeulders to Omroep Gelderland.
The municipality will convert some temporary locations into permanent places. In addition, a number of emergency shelters will be added. As a result of the collaboration, Arnhem will receive more than a thousand more asylum seekers than the recently introduced Distribution Act prescribes. “For us it does not feel like a big task, but it does feel like a task that we have to realize because we are a hospitable city,” says Smeulders.
Unique collaboration
COA is happy with Arnhem’s commitment. “It is unique that one municipality will create 1,700 places for thirty years. There are few municipalities where we can make agreements for so many places for such a long time,” says COA director Joeri Kapteijns.
The COA, which is responsible for the reception of refugees, is having great difficulty in creating enough reception places in many places.
Long lasting solution
Councilor Smeulders says that Arnhem is committed to a long-term solution to the reception problem. “That is better for the refugees, because they can live in one place for longer. It is also better for the environment, because we can then invest better in the shelters and in the connection with the environment.”
The councilor understands that an asylum seeker center has an impact in the neighborhood, but has had good experiences with previous asylum seekers’ centers. Today, local residents were informed about the plans by letter.
To create the thousand extra shelter places, the municipality will receive one million euros from the COA over the next three years.
