The municipality of Dongen still receives money from the Ministry of Asylum and Migration, so that the emergency shelter for asylum seekers at the Nestel can remain open. “After a difficult and long -term process, the municipality says on Monday. The daycare now does not have to be closed on July 1, but can continue to run a year longer than planned. At the end of last year, the city council decided that the shelter could remain open for longer, after residents asked for it en masse.
When Minister Faber threatened to have no money left, the emergency shelter seemed to have to close earlier. But it doesn’t come that far.
The municipality is relieved, but is disappointed how it all went. “We regret that it took so much time and energy,” says a spokesperson. In addition, the condition, which was placed with the municipality from the ministry, did not fall well. The intention was to keep the shelter open until August 2026, but the ministry now wants to turn it into August 2027.
That condition must now be placed again with the city council, which has to discuss it again. “About a sensitive subject,” says the municipality. A new care. And that costs everyone, from residents to councilors, a lot of energy.
Petition for keeping open care
That does not eliminate how important the open emergency shelter is for many. Proponents saw how residents of the location had gradually found their way in the village. “They work, their children go to school here and they are active in club life. The shelter has not caused a nuisance and has grown into a safe haven for people in an uncertain situation. Here friendships have arisen and supporting networks that play a crucial role in their lives,” was said in a petition to keep the emergency care open open.