After tough negotiations with the Central Shelter for Asylum Seekers (COA), Utrecht has achieved it: there will be a small asylum seekers center in the city, with housing for young people and money to provide courses for asylum seekers and local residents.
“In the past, COA was not open to this, but now the need is high and COA is dependent on us,” says Utrecht alderman Streefland (CU), who has asylum in her portfolio.
In the coming months, the COA will have a few thousand need new places. These are preferably larger locations where asylum seekers can stay for a number of years. In other words: not the sports halls that are currently being used because of the currently high pressure on the asylum system. And in the past, according to Utrecht, COA was also hesitant about relatively small locations.
Plan Einstein
The municipality of Utrecht recently sent a proposal to COA. In it, the municipality explained how it wanted to receive 300 asylum seekers and also create housing for 60 Utrecht youngsters. Utrecht also wanted 800,000 euros per year for the so-called ‘Plan Einstein’, with which courses for asylum seekers and local residents should be paid for. The money is intended for English, embroidery and entrepreneurship courses, among other things, in order to promote integration.
The COA was given one weekend by the municipality of Utrecht to respond to the proposal, otherwise the municipality would use the intended location for the reception of Ukrainians. COA subsequently agreed to the Utrecht plan.
Childcare is also arranged in ‘Plan Einstein’:
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