Emergency shelter for asylum seekers costs twice as much as regular shelter. This is the conclusion of the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) from the annual financial figures for 2022. The cost of a regular place for a registered resident is on average €27,100, and an emergency place €53,400.
Regular reception consists of asylum seeker centers that have been in the Netherlands for several years. We have 84 of them in our country. Emergency sites are only open temporarily, for example for a few months or a year. We currently have 140 emergency sites in the Netherlands.
In 2022, the number of residents in shelter centers increased from 36,000 at the beginning of the year to 52,000 at the end of the year. This growth has two reasons.
First, new asylum applications were received during the year. In addition, people are staying longer in the shelter because the flow has stopped. Currently, more than ten thousand people have been waiting for more than three months for a home.
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The high costs are due in part to shelter in hotels and ships
Due to the shortage of shelter and the increase in population, the Agriculture Committee was forced to arrange more emergency shelter. This is reflected in the numbers. In 2021, the cost of receiving asylum amounted to 725 million euros, and in 2022 it reached 1.5 billion euros.
This significant increase in costs is due in part to the locations of emergency shelters. For example, people are placed in hotels, halls, ships or tents. Those sites cost more money.
In addition, according to the COAG, these locations are not necessarily better. These places often lack good facilities, space and safety for residents and staff. If sites open and close regularly, this also causes disruptions.
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Structural shelters required in accordance with COA
The costs show that it is necessary to arrange more structural shelters, says the Agriculture Committee. The organization stresses the need for municipalities to create sufficient places for shelter. According to the Agriculture Committee, the distribution law is a first step in financing these places.
The dispersal law must ensure better distribution of the reception of asylum seekers. The outgoing government wants to try to get municipalities to open a center for asylum seekers every two years. If municipalities do this voluntarily, they can receive a cash reward.