The Alkmaar Sports Palace is currently being prepared to function as a transfer location for Ukrainian refugees within the North Holland North Security Region (VRNHN). Alderman Pieter Dijkman reports this today.
The refugees can stay here for a maximum of 24 hours, after which they move on to a reception location in one of the sixteen municipalities within the Alkmaar, West-Friesland and Noordkop region.
The aim of VRNHN is to start using the location from tomorrow. Initial reception, any medical care and registration can take place in the Sportpaleis. From the transfer location, it is determined in which municipality and at which location the reception will take place for a longer period of time.
‘Refugees reach our region faster as a result’
According to Krishna Taneja, director of VRNHN, Ukrainian refugees will also be received ‘faster within our region’ due to the transfer location. That is an advantage, says Taneja: “The refugees have had a long and tiring journey and can in this way go directly to our region. At the transfer location they can take a breath before they go to their permanent, new place.”
Two weeks ago, the cabinet called on the security regions to arrange ‘in the very short term’ the realization of a thousand reception places for Ukrainian refugees. In the ‘medium term’ another thousand reception places have to be realised.
Five hundred refugees received
All 16 municipalities in Noord-Holland Noord have made shelter places available. In total, about five hundred Ukrainians are currently being accommodated within VRNHN. There is currently space for 1,500 people. “This puts the security region ahead of schedule,” said Mayor of Alkmaar Anja Schouten, who is also chairman of VRNHN.
Alkmaar has now been able to receive the first Ukrainians in hotel Rijper Eilanden. Here is room for a hundred people. Last week, alderman Dijkman already announced that Ukrainian refugees in Alkmaar for now in hotels are collected.
He also said that Alkmaar is investigating for the longer term which office buildings are empty and can easily be used for shelter. “But of course that didn’t happen one, two, three.” The alderman called it ‘a lucky break’ that there are currently ‘quite a lot’ of vacant office buildings in Alkmaar.