An emergency shelter for asylum seekers should be established in Borger-Odoorn from February, with which the municipality wants to take over from Stadskanaal. A motion by Pieter de Groot (GroenLinks) and John Goeree (D66) was adopted in the city council tonight. “We have actually been witnessing the increasingly untenable situation at the refugee shelter in Ter Apel for too long,” de Groot and Goeree say.
Refugees are currently being accommodated in tents in Stadskanaal. The asylum seekers and registration center in Ter Apel is currently overcrowded. Earlier this week, outgoing State Secretary Eric van der Burg of Asiel spoke of a “critical situation”. That is why GroenLinks and D66 believe that an emergency shelter should be created in Borger-Odoorn, similar to the Stadskanaal model. “So consider tents with normal beds,” says De Groot.
Mayor Seton is open to the proposal and, following the example of Stadskanaal, wants to receive two hundred asylum seekers as soon as possible, once a location has been found. “We provide a warm tent, with hot food, a hot shower and a warm bed,” Seton said.
“We have had discussions with Stadskanaal and discussed, among other things, the preconditions for security,” says Seton. According to the Groningen municipality, everything is going well there and they are supported by other parties. “This could then be taken care of by COA, Red Cross and refugee work.”
The council responds positively and therefore agrees with the motion of GroenLinks and D66. De Groot calls it an ‘honorable proposal’ that affects him. The shelter in Stadskanaal ends on February 1, by which time the municipality of Borger-Odoorn wants to have taken over.