Four girls between the ages of 16 and 18 live in a corner house in Tilburg. All fled from Eritrea and Syria. The journey lasted more than two years and none of them came out of that battle unscathed. They got a residence permit here. Now they finally live in a safe place with a future here. In Brabant, accommodation is urgently needed for 600 such minor refugees.
Brabant must house more than 5,500 refugees with a residence permit before the end of this year. Nearly 600 of them are minor refugees.
“They have no parents here and have been through a lot”
The Nidos Foundation is the ‘guardian’ of the four girls and provides the most pleasant place possible to start their new life. The girls are guided by Aregash Gire and Mirna Broers from Sterk Huis. “They don’t have parents here, but they’ve been through a lot,” says Aregash. “For years a feeling of uncertainty and insecurity.”
That is why their living space mainly exudes homeliness. With a sitting area with cushions on the couch, a nice dining table and a spacious kitchen. “That atmosphere is so important. That already gives a sense of security and that is the most important thing.”
Minor refugees who enter our country on their own must first report to Ter Apel, just like everyone else. The intention is that refugees who are really very young are taken care of in a host family. Then you can be a maximum of 14 years old. If you are between 15 and 18 years old, you will be placed in a COA youth reception facility.
If you eventually get a status and you are therefore allowed to stay in the Netherlands, the idea is that you quickly move on to a small-scale shelter. For example, with a number of young people together in a house. This way you can start your new life in the Netherlands. But in Brabant we are already short of almost 600 of those places.
“A child needs guidance.”
“You don’t give a 15- or 16-year-old kid the key to a council house and literally let them figure it out,” Aregash says. “It remains a child. A child needs guidance, whether from parents or care providers. Parents are not there, so we do it.”
Mirna Broers explains that this guidance covers many subjects. “How do you pay bills or how do you transfer money? But also what healthy food is. In addition, we especially want to know how these young people are doing, emotionally. We also make a plan for the future. What do you want with an education, for example.”
Small-scale shelter for these young refugees with a residence permit is therefore very important, but we are very short of it in Brabant. And not all places are equally suitable. Mirna: “These young people go to school, have a part-time job, take swimming lessons. So it is very nice if they can get to know ‘life’ in a community. In other words, between people. That is a bit difficult on an industrial estate.”
“Municipalities are not clear how important this is.”
Municipalities must therefore quickly start designating places where these young people can live. “I don’t think all municipalities have a clear idea of how important these places are. Fortunately, there are also municipalities that set a good example, such as Tilburg,” says Mirna.
“These are young people who have a whole life ahead of them and are eager to do something with their lives. They have come here, quite a journey. They have already shown resilience and perseverance. I have every hope and confidence that they want to make something of their lives.”