The Hague wants Brabant to receive 6000 war refugees from Ukraine. Half should be available in the short term. The preparation has already started. In Central and West Brabant people are not thinking about tents, but about living space that is suitable for a longer period of time.
Every security region in the country should provide shelter for 2,000 people. Brabant has three of these safety regions.
After consultation with the Security Council, which includes all security regions, the Ministry of Justice and Security will publish these numbers on Friday. “Many security regions and municipalities are already busy preparing for this,” a spokesperson for the ministry said.
According to Marieke van Wijk of the Central and West Brabant Security Region, an inventory is currently being made in all municipalities to see where the refugees can be accommodated. Within two weeks, a thousand places must be designated per security region.
“We are not thinking of tent camps, because these people are traumatized enough already,” she says. “We want to create a place where they can stay for a while, without having to move several times.”
Van Wijk continues: “We are thinking of empty buildings, such as care homes where no one currently lives. It is quite an operation, and we do this with care.”
According to the ministry, a large number of refugees from Ukraine is expected in the coming period. The Netherlands must therefore prepare for larger-scale reception. There are 25 security regions throughout the Netherlands. In total, this concerns the reception of 50,000 Ukrainian refugees.