Prison converted to youth asylum center

An old juvenile detention center is being converted into an area where young people aged 14 to 18 can take shelter. The Central Organ shelter Asylum Seekers (COA) is rebuilding the Hevelrug in Overberg (Utrecht) into a habitable shelter with space for between 200 and 400 youths. The first refugees will be able to stay there from June. The Overberg belongs to the municipality Heuvelrug in Utrecht. The municipality is positive about the new future for the building, which has been standing empty for a couple of years. The COA is happy that they can use the building because it also has sport facilities, and there is a space for a school. Space for sheltering asylum seekers is hard to come by. The COA received an unexpected flood of refugees from Eritrea and Syria, leading the organization to reserve 4 new locations already this year. In Soest, there are 350 spots, in Zutphen 885, in Veenhuizen 400 and now in Overberg between 200 and 400.