Netherlands to spend 750m Euros to accommodate refugees on ships
The Netherlands’ Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) plans to spend 750m Euros in the coming years to accommodate refugees on ships, TASS reports with reference to the Trouw publication
According to the source, this decision is the only one so far, and it will help refugees ‘not to stay sleeping on the street’. There is currently a bill in the Dutch Senate that will oblige municipalities to create places to receive asylum seekers. However, the agency will ‘still have to rely on these types of emergency locations for the time being’.
The COA Chairman, Milo Schoenmaker, noted that many municipalities are reluctant to accept refugees, and the agency is facing a permanent shortage of beds. Therefore, the advantages of ships outweigh the disadvantages.
According to the official, people arriving in the Netherlands in search of asylum need a warm place to sleep. “By renting ships, you can quickly make shelter spaces. These ships are equipped for a longer stay, and you can moor them relatively easily,” he added.
Over the past two years, dozens of ships throughout the Netherlands have sheltered thousands of asylum seekers and refugees.
