The temporary asylum seeker center on Schepersmaat in Assen must be made permanent or rented for a longer period of time. At least that is the express wish of the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA). The municipality and involved parties held a ’round table discussion’ about this this evening.
The asylum center is located in a building that was previously used by the Dutch Petroleum Company. In September 2017, the center opened its doors to up to a thousand refugees. The municipality’s lease runs until April 2026.
According to COA location manager Klaas van der Veen, the current shelter at Schepersmaat is going well – despite stabbing incidents in 2022 and 2023, and a fire in 2024. He speaks of a ‘nice population’ and sees residents who want to make a positive contribution to Asser society.
The location manager points out with satisfaction the six hundred visitors the asylum seekers’ center welcomed during the annual Neighbors’ Day last September. “For comparison: in other asylum seekers’ centers in the Northern Netherlands they did not even reach half.”
28-year-old Ahmad Dayoub has been living at the Schepersmaat location for almost two years. “The support is excellent, we are helped where possible,” he says.
Dayoub works as a data specialist at the province of Drenthe and is waiting for a home. “My experience is very positive. Expansion can help with integration,” he thinks.
As a side note, he notes that – especially in rooms where eight asylum seekers sometimes stay at the same time – privacy is sometimes disappointing. “It was difficult for me to study in my room.”
That led to a question from Dick van den Brand on behalf of Lijst De Rijke. “Why wouldn’t you live in this building with fewer asylum seekers, so that you have more space and facilities for the residents?”
Location manager Van der Veen says that ‘more is possible’ when the property is purchased or extended. “Now it is sometimes still a matter of making do, since we are talking about a renovated office building.”
He therefore hopes that the Asser municipal council will go along with the wish for a permanent asylum seekers’ center. “When you rent you are always dependent. As an owner you have security.”
The neighborhood is not entirely enthusiastic about changing the temporary asylum center into a permanent location. “At the beginning of this conversation this was mentioned as a first step, but if I listen carefully it seems as if this is already a formality,” says Roel Jacobs, on behalf of the Zuiderpark-Assen-Oost sounding board group.
He says that local residents lack participation and says that the neighborhood will ‘not immediately’ support a structural asylum seekers’ center.
When asked, responsible councilor Cor Staal (Christian Union) emphasizes that the round table discussion should really be seen as a first step. “By the way, the location is not up for discussion. The question here is: are we going to extend this location, yes or no?”
The latter surprises Jacobs. “I wouldn’t have found it strange to explore another location. Now I hear that no other locations are being explored at all.”
However, a majority of the Asser council seems to be in favor of an extension of the shelter at Schepersmaat. The municipality still has time to make a decision about extending the lease or purchasing the property.