Nijmegen makes room for the emergency shelter for 200 to 250 asylum seekers in an empty city center. There, bedrooms for four people are created. A heated pavilion with toilets, sinks, showers, a meeting room and more sleeping areas will be built next to the riding school. The emergency shelter is expected to be ready for use by the end of October.
The riding school is located inside the Radboud University. Nijmegen oversees the emergency reception site and is responsible for day-to-day management. As soon as the first asylum seekers arrive, there will be daytime activities and sporting opportunities.
According to the municipality, an agreement has been reached with the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) so that no so-called Safelander – refugees who must return to their country – goes to the emergency shelter. It is expected that mainly single men will come.
Nijmegen is also expanding the number of places in an existing asylum center in a former barracks. There is now room for 325 people. A temporary center for asylum seekers will also open elsewhere in the city. It is not yet known how many seats this will produce. The AOC provides shelter and guidance for residents of asylum seeker centers.
The government recently asked all security regions to set up more emergency shelters, because the need in Ter Apel is high. Mayor Hubert Bruls van Nijmegen, who is also president of the Security Council, believes asylum seekers should not be left in the cold as winter approaches.
According to Bruls, the district of Brakkenstein, where the riding school is located, has already shown that people in need are welcome. Brakkenstein borders the Heumensoord nature reserve, where a large tent city for asylum seekers has already been built twice.
