1/3 Boschvoort holiday park will be a shelter for young asylum seekers traveling alone (photo: Jos Verkuijlen)
The first asylum seekers can arrive at any time at the Boschvoort holiday park near Sint-Oedenrode. These are young people between the ages of 15 and 18 who came to the Netherlands on their own.
We are still working hard at chalet park Boschvoort. Employees of the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) come and go with things. Microwave ovens are being removed and replaced with refrigerators and bunk beds. “We are almost ready,” says project leader Caroline Rombouts of COA.
It is still unclear when the first youngsters will arrive. There are still some problems. For example, a badger sett has been found behind the park. “We have to wait for the reports from the ecologists before we can accommodate all the young people here.” A small group can already go there.”
“The first days they are especially tired.”
For that group, however, the walking paths must first be illuminated. Due to the possible presence of bats in the area, special green bat-friendly lighting must be used. “As soon as it is there, we can really get to work,” says Rombouts.
A maximum of four young people will live in one house. “When they come here from Ter Apel, they are especially tired the first few days,” says Rombouts. “Then it is mainly rest and sleep a lot. But we immediately ensure a day and night rhythm. They also need some time to find their place.”
“Supermarket is actually too far away.”
Each cottage has bedrooms, but also a living room and kitchen. “The young people will soon be cooking for themselves,” says Rombouts. “We are going to give them cooking lessons. But we are also going to teach them how to clean. They will do the household as much as possible themselves.”
During the day, the young people go to school. “We are still looking at where that will be,” explains the project leader. “If the school is close by, they go by bicycle. That is why we are going to teach them how to cycle. If the school is further away, we will arrange transport to and from school.”
Sports activities and other activities, such as games, are provided at the park. At ten o’clock in the evening all young people must be in their cottage. “The park itself is ideal,” says Rombouts. “But the place is not perfect. Facilities such as a supermarket are actually too far away.” The nearest supermarket is four kilometers away.
“We understand the concerns about nuisance.”
By offering the young asylum seekers a place that is as homely as possible and by keeping them busy, the COA believes that it will limit the nuisance for the neighbourhood. “We really understand those concerns,” says the project leader. “We try to manage it as best we can. But we cannot guarantee that nothing will happen. They are still teenagers.”
The shelter for about 80 young people will stay at the chalet park for a maximum of one year. After that, it will become a shelter for about 120 promising asylum seekers. Local residents do not think it is a good idea to put so many young asylum seekers together in a holiday park.