An impossible task threatens the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA), now that municipalities also have to look for 50,000 reception places for refugees from Ukraine. COA also needs at least 7,000 reception places. At the moment there are still thousands of asylum seekers living under poor living conditions in temporary emergency reception locations, such as tents and event halls. Twelve temporary locations will close this month alone, requiring new locations.
Mayor Bruls, chairman of the Security Council, warned at the beginning of this week not to forget the COA’s cries for help. The cabinet also asks the municipalities to continue the search for shelter places.
The mayors of the 25 security regions got together on Monday because of the appeal that the cabinet is making to them to set up shelters for Ukrainians. Ukrainians are covered by a European temporary protection scheme. Because they now do not have to apply for asylum, the responsibility for the reception does not lie with the COA.
‘Humanitarian lower limit’
Refugee work fears that the reception of asylum seekers will run into even more difficulties. That while, according to the organization, the living conditions in the emergency shelter have fallen through the humanitarian lower limit. Refugee work has mapped out the living conditions at 22 emergency reception locations.
In total there are about 37 emergency shelter locations with 7000 residents, including 1500 children. More than 5,200 asylum seekers and refugees live in the 22 locations surveyed by Vluchtelingenwerk. Some of them have been in emergency shelters for six months. One in three already has a residence permit, especially the interpreters who have fled from Afghanistan.
Situation is alarming
Refugee work sees with regret that the temporary nature of the emergency shelter is disappearing and the mental and physical condition of residents is deteriorating. “Despite repeated alarm bells from, among others, the Dutch Council for Refugees, the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights, the National Ombudsman, the Red Cross and Unicef, the government and municipalities are not aware of the urgency to force the necessary breakthrough,” said spokesman Martijn. van der Linden.
The situation in emergency shelters is compared to the first inventory in December generally deteriorated further. There are some improvements to be seen, says Van der Linden. More children are going to school, more activities are being organized and food money is provided for breakfast and lunch at a number of locations. However, now that the stay is longer, the lack of facilities and activities is becoming more and more pressing, says Vluchtelingenwerk.
The organization calls the situation in the large-scale halls and tents where children also stay alarming. Many women and children report that they do not feel safe, everyone sleeps badly because it is noisy, many children eat badly and there are no good play areas for children. Another worrying development noted by the Refugee Organization is that waiting times in the asylum procedure are increasing.
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