Wednesday: Refugees in the Netherlands

Yes, yes, I've fallen behind on my blog posts, but I'm back now.

Wednesday we met with the director of Bed Bad Brood (Bed, Bath, Bread), a privately funded refugee resettlement center. Private charities, or not-for-profits don't seem to be as common in the Netherlands (just my impression here--no data), probably because government services tend to be more all-encompassing than ours. But a Christian group formed BBB in reaction to what it believed to be inappropriate or ineffective methods used by the government to deal with refugees.

It was very interesting to hear someone in the Netherlands criticize the government for not being helpful. As a general rule here, it appears that government benefits are generous and--as far as the locals are concerned--administered pretty fairly. But the government's approach to refugees, as described by BBB, can be harsh. For example, refugees who have not been granted asylum or permanent residence may not earn any money.

I didn't say they couldn't get a job. They can't, of course. But they may not engage in even the most basic entrepreneurship. We toured a refugee center complete with a parking lot for bikes. The bikes weren't as nice as the ones many natives ride, but still. The director pointed out with pride that the police periodically sweep their parking lot in a search for stolen bikes, and so far have only found one. (In that case, the refugee was found to have unwittingly purchased a stolen bike, but had not stolen it himself.) Some refugees repair discarded bikes to make them usable again. I asked whether a refugee could sell a bike that he/she had repaired. The answer was no: they may not earn any money.

BBB provides new refugees with a small allowance (30 Euros per week), and a room in the shelter. It also offers classes in Dutch language and culture, as well as some basic job training. Residents are assigned chores in the shelter "so they get in the habit of working."

The shelter for newly arrived refugees who had no status was basic. It was a repurposed roadside motel. Three to four singles share a room, and families will have a room to themselves. There is a shared kitchen, shared bathrooms, and a shared laundry room.

Refugees who are farther along in the Dutch system--who have passed background checks and whatnot--are entitled to a small stipend from the Dutch government (but still may not earn money beyond that). BBB has a separate shelter for them--in a repurposed river cruise ship. That was actually pretty nice, albeit a little cramped. Same deal--shared facilities. The refugees there cooked us a delicious Moroccan lunch. It felt sort of wrong, having them provide me with food, but the director explained that it is a point of pride for many of them. Also, they would be insulted if we didn't have seconds, so we did. (Twist my arm.)

Refugees who have been granted permanent resident status are housed at BBB's repurposed flight school. (They certainly are creative when it comes to finding living spaces.) These refugees may work for money if they can find jobs. They stay at the former flight school until they can find and afford other housing. The director said that was actually the toughest group to work with because they tended to be impatient to be out on their own. This group provided us with an afternoon snack.

I was very impressed with all three shelters, as well as the group's overall philosophy. Apparently they have been featured by Reuters, the European news group, for their good work. (The official name of the group is INLIA, in case you're interested in reading more about it.)