65 asylum seekers who could no longer go to the overcrowded registration center in Ter Apel slept in 2e Exloërmond last night. Emergency shelter in the Hunsowhal in the municipality of Borger-Odoorn has been arranged for three nights.
The first night went well and relatively peacefully, says Mayor Jan Seton of the municipality of Borger-Odoorn. The request for emergency shelter came in on Sunday, and on Monday the space was equipped for 150 asylum seekers.
The mayor says that the municipal council is involved in this subject. “In the last council meeting we said that shelter must now mainly take place elsewhere in the country and not always temporarily, but for a longer period of time. But if that is not possible and a request arises from our neighboring municipality, we will help them out.”
2nd Exloërmond was chosen because asylum seekers had previously been received there. “A few years ago we also received asylum seekers for a number of nights in the Hunsowhal,” Seton explains. “The script was still there and the location is a relatively short distance from Ter Apel.”
The mayor himself was also in the hall last night to see how everything was prepared and to receive the first asylum seekers who arrived.
Seton says he has had good experiences with the Red Cross, the organization that helps with these types of situations. “In fact, one phone call is enough and they come with a team to ensure that everything is set up very carefully. The guidance they provide is also top notch.”
He explains that the municipality is only offering the property. “And we ensure that some people help. But the real work is done by the Red Cross and it does it very well.”
The reason for offering childcare for three nights is that it was requested. Seton: “The expectation is that there will be shelter elsewhere afterwards.”
Should the mayor of Westerwolde knock on Borger-Odoorn’s door again, the mayor says he will always offer a listening ear. “If it were the other way around, we would also like a neighboring municipality to help us. That is why we will certainly respond again.”
“It sometimes feels repetitive,” Seton says. “Because we also had this a few years ago, without there really seeming to be any prospects.”
But he says he is aware that the current government is putting more pressure on other municipalities to provide help than was the case at the time. “I also know that the government is working on national solutions. Until then, we will deflect questions from other directions, but if Westerwolde asks us, we will not say no.”
Regarding the non-compliance with the dispersal law by mayors elsewhere in the country, Seton says he expects things to get going. “There is active communication about this from the ministry. It just takes a lot of time. In the meantime, we will still be in the picture for a while.”