Finally, the Netherlands can offer relief to asylum-seekers as up to 10,000 extra spaces are made to host people. Where? In churches and holiday homes!
The initiative, run by Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN), will offer temporary housing to status holders, aka asylum-seekers with residence permits, reports the NOS.
100 places promised
As of now, 10 different municipalities promised to receive status holders.
With so many extra spaces, the Dutch government hopes it will speed up the flow of the 17,000 status holders currently awaiting housing.
Municipalities in the Netherlands are faced with a huge influx of status holders; they are expected to house 20,000 people before January 1st, 2023.
READ MORE | Amsterdam to shelter a thousand asylum seekers on cruise ship
But, hopefully, the extra spaces in churches and empty homes will lessen the strain on local municipalities — and provide some much-needed hope to asylum-seekers who have been left waiting for housing for so long! 🏡
Reception places decreasing
However, despite the extra 10,000 spots for status-holders, the number of reception places in the Netherlands is on the decrease.
Despite agreements made with regions, there are 1,250 reception places fewer than before. This is mostly due to expiring contracts between the government and municipalities for crisis shelters to house people.
READ MORE | Asylum seekers left sleeping on plastic chairs in Ter Apel
This leaves a lot of people in limbo as they wait for somewhere to stay. 😞
Many contracts expired on October 1st, so, while the Dutch government attempts to find more reception areas, their solution remains — churches! ⛪
Other municipalities can host more
Yet, it’s not all bad news; there are over 11,000 reception places in the Netherlands to receive asylum-seekers. Areas such as Amsterdam receive up to 3,000 status holders.
Amsterdam alderman Rutger Groot Wassink has another idea to overcome the need for housing for status-holders; increasing the number of asylum-seekers in smaller municipalities. “If we can do that with other municipalities, we’ll be out quickly.”
What do you think of the Netherlands opening up its churches? Tell us in the comments below!