Hilversum wants the government to come up with special shelter for troublemakers from Ukraine

Google Street ViewMunicipal shelter for Ukrainians in Hilversum where the man is now staying

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 06:42

Rolinde Hoorntje

Interior Editor

Rolinde Hoorntje

Interior Editor

The municipality of Hilversum is at a loss: at the end of last year, Hilversum expelled an aggressive man from the municipal shelter for Ukrainians. Recently, the judge ruled that the man should still be taken care of in Hilversum. It is the first time that the judge has ruled on a displaced person from Ukraine who has been evicted from the shelter.

Hilversum now wants the government to come up with a solution quickly, for example by temporarily housing such a displaced person at another location. Something like this already exists for asylum seekers who cause nuisance.

The man had been drinking and hit a minor, after he had already received warnings. The municipality had not only denied him access to the shelter, but also stopped his allowance and imposed an area ban on him, “because the shelter must be safe for everyone,” a spokesman said. The judge ruled that the man was nevertheless entitled to shelter and could therefore remain in Hilversum.

In more locations

“We are familiar with the problems that municipalities experience with unacceptable behavior and know that this can have an impact on the other residents and the staff of the reception location,” confirms a spokesperson for State Secretary Van der Burg (Asylum & Migration). “The Security Regions and municipalities have made it clear that there is a need for a structural solution to the problem of refugees from Ukraine with unacceptable behaviour.”

Those who cause a nuisance retain the right to shelter, even if they repeatedly violate the house rules of the shelter. Sometimes they are temporarily transferred to another location to restore peace, according to the judiciary. Hilversum calls this “a shift of the problem”.

Hotel is wrong signal

The municipality of Hilversum must offer the man an alternative, says the judge. According to the municipality, that is not so easy. Moreover, a place in a hotel or private home would “send the signal that misbehavior will be rewarded”, the college of mayors and aldermen writes in a letter to the city council. The man is now taken care of at a new reception location in Hilversum that is slowly filling up.

The municipality has “acknowledged with disappointment” the verdict, the college writes in the letter. There are 1034 reception places for Ukrainian refugees in Hilversum. “Almost everyone behaves properly and takes each other into account,” emphasizes a spokesperson. “An individual behaves in such a way that an unsafe situation arises in a group shelter with limited space. It’s not about noise nuisance or being late, it’s really about aggression and violence. And that touches the core of the shelter: we must provide a safe environment for people who have fled the war.”

The municipality wants to be able to deny someone access to the shelter in case of repeated violation of the house rules. “This makes it clear that unacceptable behavior, ignoring warnings, aggression or violence are not allowed.”

Special surveillance location

The municipality announces that it will appeal and bring the problem to the attention of the Security Council. “If the enforcement options remain as limited as they are now, it is the State’s turn to act,” the Board writes to the city council.

The Ministry of Justice says that it is already consulting with the VNG, Security Regions and a number of municipalities “how we can offer municipalities action perspectives”. That conversation has been going on for a while. In November 2022, the Ministry of Justice also stated that it was already in consultation on the subject.

According to the municipality of Hilversum, it is taking too long. Hilversum wants the State to ensure that the situation in the reception centers remains manageable and proposes that the State organize a comparable facility for nuisance-causing asylum seekers. Asylum seekers who cause a lot of nuisance can be temporarily accommodated by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers at the enforcement and supervision location (htl) where coercion and violence may be used.

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