Zandvoort will not accommodate minor refugees in hotels and guesthouses. The council proposed in September to house unaccompanied minor foreigners (amvs), but cannot meet the wishes of the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA).
The COA requests shelter for fifty to eighty young refugees for six months. Zandvoort can only accommodate a smaller group for three months: the low season does not last longer. The Zandvoort council informed the council of this.
Mayor David Moolenburgh previously discussed the option with a council committee, because he expected an urgent request from the government in the short term. That also happened. Hotels and guesthouses could possibly be a solution, as was the case with the reception of Ukrainian refugees. The mayor is now coming back to that.
“We have asked COA for clarification about what numbers and duration are involved. COA has requested larger numbers and longer terms than we consider feasible and adaptable for Zandvoort,” the letter to the council states.
“We very much appreciate the offer from the municipality of Zandvoort,” says a COA spokesperson. “Only, this specific group of refugees needs very specialist guidance. You are talking about minors who are obliged to attend school. This means that the COA has to put a lot of energy into setting up teams. We are not going to do that if the shelter is only for three months.” is,” the spokesperson said.
The COA would like to emphasize that, despite the ‘rejection’, the pressure to accommodate refugees remains great. “We want to do everything we can to prevent people from having to sleep outside,” the spokesperson said.
Staff
State Secretary Eric Van der Burg is therefore asking municipalities for help. North Holland should offer shelter to around 1,400 asylum seekers before the end of the year, especially unaccompanied minors. North Holland, South Holland and North Brabant are currently the least cooperative in emergency care, Van der Burg said in a letter. Housing for status holders is also lagging behind nationally.
Lawn
Zandvoort initially wanted to accommodate several dozen asylum seekers on a lawn near the De Zuid car park. However, the council swept that option off the table, because there was (yet) no question of an Emergency Act. A new list is currently being drawn up in Zandvoort for possible new locations for asylum reception.