The fact that 37 asylum seekers temporarily moved from a sports hall in Diemen to residential units on Legmeerdijk in Aalsmeer yesterday is a step in the right direction, according to Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland. However, the organization would prefer that the refugees be offered a permanent place: “Moving again and again is difficult.”
It concerns a group of asylum seekers for whom there is currently no place in the regular asylum reception. At the beginning of November, the group will be expanded to 50 asylum seekers. They are divided into eight to twelve residential units in Aalsmeer, where they can stay for a maximum of three months.
The units have two small and one large bedroom, a bathroom and a living room with kitchen. In the emergency shelter in Diemen, the asylum seekers only had shared facilities.
Advance to own home
“We believe that people should be in control of their own lives and that is much better now that they can cook for themselves again, for example. It is the advance towards their own home,” says a spokesperson for Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland in response to the move.
The organization won a lawsuit against the State last week in which it argued that the way refugees are currently being received is inhumane. “We are only happy when no asylum seekers have to sleep in a tent, gym or event hall,” said chairman Frank Candel at the time.
The refugees stayed in the sports hall in Diemen for about three months. A renovation has been temporarily halted for this emergency shelter. From 24 October, schools and sports associations can use the sports hall again.
The new living situation of this group of asylum seekers makes the organization positive, but there are concerns about the constant dragging of refugees. “We really appreciate that municipalities stick out their necks, but moving all the time brings a lot of unrest and these people have no privacy. Moving is especially difficult for people with children. They have to go to school somewhere else and make new friends.” said the spokesman.
‘To do together’
According to Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland, the solution is for municipalities to do their best together to realize long-term shelter. “Then we divide the people better and you get smaller reception locations. It is then easier to find a suitable place.”
Residents near the reception center in Aalsmeer have been informed by letter and can e-mail any questions or comments to a special e-mail address of the municipality. According to a spokesperson for the municipality, the reactions that come in are mainly positive. “A lot of help is offered, but at the moment there is actually no request for help, because everything goes through the Red Cross.” There are, however, some negative reactions to the new reception location on social media.
NH Nieuws was not allowed to make a picture of the reception locations in Diemen and Aalsmeer today.