A crisis shelter will be built on Manegelaan in Stadskanaal where overnight accommodation will be provided to 200 asylum seekers. The heated tents will remain in place until the end of January.
The COA has asked the municipality of Stadskanaal to set up the shelter because people in Ter Apel are once again in danger of having to sleep outside.
The tents will be set up on Tuesday. The municipality of Stadskanaal expects to have the temporary shelter ready for use on Thursday. The asylum seekers who use the shelter arrive in Stadskanaal by bus in the evening, receive a hot meal and a place to sleep. They are then taken back to the registration center the next morning.
Helping out
‘We see it as our responsibility to step in. Even though we already do a lot in our municipality when it comes to the reception of asylum seekers. I would prefer to see every municipality in the Netherlands take its responsibility, but in practice this is unfortunately different,” councilor Ingrid Sterenborg said in a press release.
Due to the crowds at the registration center in Ter Apel, asylum seekers have been staying in IND waiting rooms at night and during the day for almost two months. The Red Cross came to the rescue last weekend to provide basic facilities on the site in Ter Apel.
Previously a night shelter in Stadskanaal
From June to December 2022, there were also tents for emergency shelter on Manegelaan to relieve the burden on the registration center in Ter Apel.