The Migreat Foundation stops storing relief goods for asylum seekers in the former nunnery Luciahuis in Ter Apel.
The foundation is dissatisfied with the conditions that applied to that storage. According to Yljo van Donselaar of Migreat, contact has been terminated with the owner of the Luciahuis: the Willibrordus Church, which falls under the Parish of the Holy Cross.
Sleeping bags and tents
Migreat has been providing assistance to asylum seekers in Ter Apel since last year. She is supported by at least 20 local volunteers. ,,In the Luciahuis we rented 2 rooms in which we had stored materials such as sleeping bags, jackets, tents”, says Van Donselaar. “We paid 400 euros a month for that. We already thought that was a considerable amount, especially for this purpose.”
Migreat wanted to rent an extra classroom. “We had to pay another 300 euros a month for that. We also wanted to collect things there, but were told that this was not allowed. That was the immediate reason for us to cancel the contract. We are disappointed with this corporate attitude of the church.”
‘Amount was already much too high’
That disappointment is also there with Frans Wisman, one of the volunteers. “That amount was already much too high, a church should not be allowed to ask for that. It also bothers us that no collection was allowed to take place. We have also urged Migreat to cancel contact.”
Pastor Jos Deuling of the Parish of the Holy Cross strongly denies that there is an ‘earnings model’ for the church. “That is not true at all. The price we ask is cost-effective, we do not earn anything from it. Incidentally, the contract we had concluded only concerned storage. We do not want a collection because this can cause all kinds of commotion while there is a school nearby and there are local residents. We are in favor of the collection of items taking place elsewhere in the village. Those things could then be brought to the Luciahuis. That’s how we work when it comes to helping Ukrainians.”
According to Van Donselaar, another storage location for relief goods has been found in Ter Apel, closer to the asylum center. “The costs are not lower there, but we are allowed to collect.”