Some of the asylum seekers from the application center in Ter Apel will soon be accommodated in the Expo Hall in Assen. According to the municipality of Assen, the intention is that the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) will start preparing the hall for a first group of 150 people tomorrow.
Yesterday it became clear that again hundreds of people too many are in the reception of the application center in Ter Apel. Insiders then told RTV Noord that it involved an overrun of 600 people.
Now some of these refugees are going to Assen. The municipality was approached by COA this morning with the request to set up an emergency shelter in the Expo Hall. “Due to the situation in Ter Apel, we understand the urgent appeal of the COA,” said Mayor Marco Out van Assen. “We have honored the request for humanitarian and social responsibility reasons.”
The municipality of Assen has given permission for three weeks. If the need remains high, the COA may extend this until 31 March 2022 at the latest. A maximum of 500 people can be accommodated, reports RTV Drenthe.
night shelter
For the first few days, it concerns crisis shelter for refugees who report to Ter Apel for night shelter. These people stay one night and are then brought back to Ter Apel for an intake.
From Friday, the hall will also be equipped for refugees who report to Ter Apel during the day and who stay longer in this shelter. These are mostly people from countries such as Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen.
The municipality of Assen says that companies and local residents are still being informed about the emergency shelter today. With that announcement, a telephone number of the COA is shared, which people can contact with questions. The municipality will also consider whether it is necessary to organize an information meeting.
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