The last week before the asylum seekers center in Overloon has arrived. Nevertheless, the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) has not yet found a new place for about three hundred people who still live in a reception complex. The asylum seekers’ center will close its doors next Thursday.
Residents of neighboring Stevensbeek and Overloon were completely fed up with it after years of nuisance, theft, burglaries and even assault. These incidents were mainly caused by so-called safelanders, asylum seekers from countries that are considered safe by the Netherlands.
“Every day is a challenge, the influx of new refugees is high.”
Last summer, the city council of the then municipality of Boxmeer decided that the asylum seekers center in Overloon had to close. The contract with COA, which expires on May 19, was not extended.
When the decision was made, there were still 500 asylum seekers living in the asylum seekers’ center. COA went looking for new reception places, but that is not easy in times of already overcrowded locations. About 200 people could be accommodated elsewhere.
And so there are still 300 asylum seekers left, for whom a roof over their heads must be found within a week. And the COA is quite upset about that. “Every day is a new challenge for us. The influx of new refugees is high,” says spokesman Timo Waarsenburg.
It is a known fact that the reception centers are overflowing. The pressure on the application center in Ter Apel was so high on Tuesday that several dozen asylum seekers had to spend the night on a grassy field outside the application center. Inhumane, so they were eventually allowed to lie on the floor in the reception hall.
“I guarantee that at least no one has to sleep outside.”
Despite the pressure, COA is confident that new places will be found for the approximately three hundred remaining asylum seekers in Overloon. “But it may not be the same quality of living that the asylum seekers are now used to and not all of them together. Some may have to go to a temporary emergency shelter, such as the one at the Autotron in Rosmalen. But I guarantee that in any case no one outside need to sleep.”
The municipality of Land van Cuijk, of which Overloon is now a part, wants to receive Ukrainians on the grounds of the asylum seekers’ center from next month. Initially, it concerns 250 war refugees. The site has room for 800 residents.
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