In the search for a suitable location for the emergency shelter of refugees, the municipality of Coevorden ended up at the building across the street from the town hall: the old Rabobank, in the middle of the city centre. From Monday, the municipality will receive fifty asylum seekers there to relieve the pressure on the application center in Ter Apel.
The twelve Drenthe municipalities were given the task of contributing to the reception of asylum seekers via the Drenthe Safety Region. Several municipalities have already complied with this. For example, a second asylum boat will be installed in Meppel to relieve the pressure on the application center in Ter Apel.
The bank building in Coevorden is currently being equipped to accommodate the sudden residence of the dozens of refugees. According to project leader André Kolk refugee shelter of the municipality of Coevorden, a search for such a location is not always easy. “If you’re looking for something like this in such a short period of time, it’s not choosing from wealth. What we found here is an empty building that is destined for demolition.”