Target Audience
On this page, we answer the most frequently asked questions regarding asylum reception.
In Zevenbergen, there is a reception center with a capacity of up to 200 people on Schansdijk. The COA (Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers) manages this reception center. First, all status holders assigned to the municipality are placed at the center, followed by status holders assigned to the region, and finally, foreign nationals with a promising asylum application, preferably with a placement recommendation in the region. Only if space remains after that will the COA proceed to accommodate another target group of asylum seekers or—if the COA has no need for additional asylum reception capacity—lease the facility to the municipality for the (social) reception of other target groups. If that is the case, a new procedure must be followed. Depending on the plan, this involves either an amendment to the environmental plan or a permitting procedure (off-plan environmental plan activity, BOPA).
Asylum seeker centers are intended for people who have fled their country of origin and have applied for asylum in the Netherlands. People who are allowed to stay in the Netherlands (status holders) are assigned to a municipality, which is responsible for finding them housing. Unfortunately, it often takes a long time to find suitable housing. As a result, many status holders are currently staying in asylum seeker centers and reception facilities while they wait for housing. The number of status holders per municipality is set by a quota. By 2025, the municipality of Moerdijk must house approximately 80 status holders. This figure includes not only new housing assignments but also family reunifications. We have agreed with the COA that status holders who come to live in Moerdijk will also be accommodated at the reception center in Moerdijk while they are still waiting for housing. This will allow them to begin their integration process sooner.
Asylum seekers who are assigned housing in the municipality of Moerdijk must integrate into Dutch society. This means they must learn the Dutch language. They also receive guidance on living and working in the Netherlands. This is provided by Werkplein and Vluchtelingenwerk.