Flemish youth minister Benjamin Dalle (Christian democrat/CD&V) is making unused rooms at three Flemish youth centres available to provide accommodation for asylum seeker families with children. Mr Dalle and the federal secretary of state for asylum and migration Nicole de Moor (CD&V) have teamed up to find more temporary reception places for asylum seekers. However, the Flemish education minister Ben Weyts (nationalist/N-VA), who has special responsibility for the Flemish area bordering Brussels known as the “Vlaamse Rand” is not enthusiastic about the initiative.
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Flemish youth centres opened up to accommodate asylum seekers, but not everybody is happy
Colin Clapson
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As of this week, two youth centres in Beersel in Flemish Brabant (Destelheide and Hanenbos) can provide short-term accommodation for asylum seekers. Today, a group of families and children will be housed at Destelheide. They will be able to stay for several days, awaiting a place in a regular centre. There will be no change to youth activities at the centre and that means capacity available to accommodate asylum seekers will vary from day to day.
At a third centre, the Hoge Rielen in Kasterlee (Antwerp Province), emergency accommodation is planned in two buildings from November to February. These premises are not being used by the youth agency during this period.
The youth centres will mainly be used to provide a buffer capacity to accommodate families and minors for a short time, while waiting for a place in a regular centre.
Ben Weyts, as Flemish minister in charge of the Flemish Rand and former candidate mayor for Beersel, is unhappy with his colleague Dalle's initiative.
"Destelheide and Hanenbos are Flemish Community institutions," Weyts responds. "Apparently, this Flemish Community now has to lend a helping hand to solve the federal government's problems. The matter hasn’t been discussed in the Flemish government. Once again, it’s a location in the Flemish Rand, a region that is already heavily burdened. I just can’t allow this to happen."
For several weeks now there has been opposition to the decision by the federal asylum secretary not to provide accommodation for single male asylum seekers for the time being due to a lack of reception places. In her own words, this is to prevent families with children from being denied accommodation and ending up on the streets. A number of organisations are taking the matter to the Council of State.
Flemish minister Dalle explained the youth sector was taking responsibility in an urgent crisis: "Both the infrastructure and the people working there are experienced in welcoming children and families and in providing a qualitative approach."
Mr Dalle stresses that this is not a matter for the federal government alone: "We are all responsible together as a country," he said.