The sports halls De Pracht and ‘t Hazzo in Waarle will be made available for the temporary accommodation of 225 asylum seekers. That is what the municipality says.
According to the municipality, this is necessary because the ‘Centraal Orgaan Opvang Asielzoekers’ (central agency for the reception of asylum seekers, COA) has a great shortage of reception locations. The application centre in Ter Apel in Groningen is overcrowded. The State Secretary therefore instructed the safety regions to accommodate asylum seekers per region.
“Within the ‘Veiligheidsregio Brabant-Zuidoost’ (security region Brabant-Zuidoost) it has been discussed what the municipalities are already doing and what the possibilities are. It emerged from this that Waalre is the most appropriate municipality to meet this task”, the municipality announces. “We also feel called upon to make a contribution from a human point of view”.
Temporary crisis accommodation
As of 13 July, the asylum seekers will be accommodated for a period of two weeks. This can be extended by another week. After that period, the refugees go to another COA reception centre. When the asylum seekers arrive, there will be professional guidance, supervision and security day and night.
Choice of sports centres
The municipality opted for sports centres because they are easily accessible and immediately available. Moreover, the halls are owned by the municipality. Furthermore, the locations are large enough to accommodate hundreds of people. Local residents have been informed of the decision.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
