Zeeland wants to contribute to additional reception places for 225 refugees

The additional reception places for which agreements have now been made are urgently needed to relieve the Ter Apel application center and the centers for asylum seekers in the Netherlands. The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) is struggling with capacity issues, which means there is not always room for newly registered refugees. They are sometimes forced to sleep on chairs or on the floor.

It is caused by a larger influx than had been taken into account, combined with a lower outflow of beneficiaries from centers for asylum seekers to a hostel. Without suitable housing, this flow will not start.

According to a spokesperson for the Zeeland municipalities, it is still too early to say where the refugees will be accommodated in Zeeland. The thirteen municipalities, under the coordination of the president of the VRZ, will discuss how they will carry out the reception. The tourist season also makes things complex, the spokesperson explains in an explanation: “But of course, we are doing everything we can to use the opportunities that are available to us.”

The additional 225 emergency shelters in Zeeland and the 7,500 temporary accommodation to be added nationwide are expected to temporarily address capacity issues. In exchange for the help of the security regions, the cabinet provides thirty civil servants per region who coordinate the reception. The COA organizes medical care.

The refugees are currently accommodated in four locations in Zeeland.