The reception of asylum seekers in a small-scale form in Zuidwolde is being extended again. This concerns three locations for crisis emergency shelter in the Hoofdstraat.
The municipality extends the reception by one year, until December 31, 2025. De Wolden does this at the request of the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA). “Given the situation in Ter Apel and the overcrowded asylum seekers’ centers in the country, the council has agreed to the request.”
A year ago, De Wolden made the same decision. The shelter, which was initially intended for a few months, was then extended by a year.
The municipal council likes the current way of working. “The experiences with this small-scale form of shelter, just like with the shelter of Ukrainian refugees, are mainly positive. Volunteers, churches and neighbors have an important role in this,” the municipality concludes.
The parsonage of the Reformed Church has room for a maximum of sixteen asylum seekers, the others live behind the building of a former fishmonger. The government will reimburse the costs of shelter.