Mayor Klaas Smid sees the extra asylum reception in the municipality of Noordenveld as a small contribution to a major problem. In order to somewhat relieve the pressure on the overcrowded application center in Ter Apel, a maximum of 140 asylum seekers can temporarily go to the Bankenbosch prison in Veenhuizen.
The crisis emergency shelter in Noordenveld will start from August and will last until October. “At the moment, several locations are empty, also in preparation for the work that must be done for the renovation of the prisons,” explains Smid. “We informed the local residents by letter yesterday. And next week we will have a walk-in evening in Veenhuizen, where people can come with questions.”
Smid wanted to lend a helping hand to Ter Apel with his municipality. “We see the situation there and it is appalling. It is an untenable situation. We would like to make a contribution, even if it is just a drop in the ocean,” said Smid. “It has also been agreed in Drenthe that we will see if we can find some large reception locations. To actually prevent asylum seekers from being dragged from sports hall to sports hall.”
Until 1 October, the security regions will provide additional crisis emergency shelters. “We went all out in Drenthe and offered a lot of help. Don’t underestimate it: the municipalities are facing a lot,” says Smid. “We had to do a lot of work for the reception of Ukrainians, we have the accelerated placement of status holders and the crisis emergency shelter. But of course it will stop at some point. Other solutions must also be found, such as a second application center.”
Smid hopes that other security regions will also take responsibility for crisis emergency relief in the near future. “I sometimes hear about municipalities where nothing is arranged. In that case, I think the power to designate may be used by the State Secretary. If you always fail to do so, some coercion should be possible. It is of course not the most ideal option, but we only come to solutions if we put our shoulders to the wheel together.”
The Drenthe Safety Region understands this Groningen position. Mayor Karel Loohuis van Hoogeveen is acting chairman of the Drenthe Security Region: “I understand that Groningen is putting pressure in this way to arrive at a structural solution and to start the discussion.”