Minister Van der Burg looking for additional shelters for asylum seekers in hotels

Outgoing State Secretary Eric van der Burg (Asylum) wants to find 3,500 places in hotels for accommodation in connection with the ongoing bottleneck in the reception of asylum seekers. Initially, asylum seekers are to be accommodated there, and as soon as it is possible, they are to be replaced by status holders, he wrote in a parliamentary letter. In general, accommodation will be provided in agreement with the municipalities involved.

The measure is necessary because the application center in Ter Apel is not allowed to accommodate more than 2,000 people. The court has ruled that the municipality of Westerwolde, where the center is located, must pay a penalty if this maximum number is exceeded. It has since done so. As a result, additional measures are required to keep the number below the maximum.

The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) will guide asylum seekers and status holders, just as it does in regular asylum seeker centers. Due to bottlenecks in the reception of asylum seekers, they have already been accommodated in hotels for some time.

In the meantime, status holders are also increasingly being accommodated in hotels in or near municipalities where they are likely to find housing. This works well, according to Van der Burg, and ensures an influx into the asylum seeker centers, he continued. The influx into asylum seeker centers is low because recognized refugees have to stay there for too long because there is not enough housing available in the municipalities.

The State Secretary had previously called on the provinces to provide 5,500 reception places, preferably before April 1, as some emergency shelters would close in the spring. Van der Burg wants to prevent or postpone the closures as much as possible.