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Municipal Halls Provide Night Shelter as Ter Apel Registration Centre Stays Overcapacity

Short-term municipal shelters that prevent people sleeping outside now rotate between towns as long-term reception capacity remains unclear

Overview

  • The national asylum registration centre in Ter Apel has lacked space for all new arrivals since Wednesday, May 20, so COA is prioritizing vulnerable people such as women and children.
  • The Op Roakeldaishal in Warffum closed after 92 people spent the night there on Sunday–Monday and local authorities said another municipality needed to take over.
  • Borger-Odoorn has agreed to house up to 150 people for the next three nights in a sports hall in 2e Exloërmond with support from the Red Cross and COA, and that site will close on Thursday morning.
  • Several municipalities including Stadskanaal, Aa en Hunze (Gieten), Groningen and Het Hogeland have provided short-term night shelters to stop people sleeping outside, with nightly use varying from dozens to low hundreds.
  • The Red Cross says it remains very concerned about the unstable, time-limited nature of these arrangements and the lack of a clear, long-term plan for reception capacity, which could keep pressure on local services and on asylum seekers' immediate care.