Brabant municipalities are diligently looking for shelters for Ukrainian refugees. Omroep Brabant has found. The province is also involved in this search. Many people from Brabant want to do something for refugees from Ukraine, but there is still a lot of coordination to be done.
No one can yet designate specific locations. Most municipalities are still waiting for instructions from the ministry and the province. According to a spokesman for the province, it is almost certain that of the expected seven million refugees from the country, a certain number will end up in Brabant. “We often talk about reception in the region, now we are the region,” says the provincial spokesman.
Solidarity
Mayor Hans Janssen of the municipality of Oisterwijk speaks on behalf of all municipalities in the Midden-Brabant region: “Many citizens, organizations, companies and municipal councils let us know that they want to make a contribution for the people who are on the run due to the war. The poignant images from Ukraine unleash a huge movement of solidarity. We want to steer that solidarity in the right direction.”
Tilburg is one of the first municipalities to state that it will be hospitable, but cannot yet mention any specific locations either.
Shortage of places
The COA, the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers, is very concerned about availability. According to a spokesman, there was already a huge shortage of 7,000 places for asylum seekers, and a new influx of refugees will make it more complex. The COA on Sunday called on municipalities to provide new locations.
According to the COA, Ukrainians do not have to apply for a visa for a short-term stay, because they are Europeans. If they want to stay longer, they must start their asylum procedure via the normal reception locations in municipalities.
source: Omroep Brabant
translated by:Vesna
