# Cabinet examines state land beyond Defence for asylum shelter

> The cabinet says it is examining state property beyond Defence sites for asylum housing, to stop people sleeping outside at Ter Apel, while Statistics Netherlands (CBS) counts 1,845 first asylum applications in August.

Migration · published 2026-10-29 12:27 · updated 2026-10-29 13:05 · https://nlnow.nl/a/cabinet-widens-search-for-state-land-for-asylum-shelter/

Since May, the asylum agency COA, the Ministry of Defence, the state property agency Rijksvastgoedbedrijf (RVB) and the Ministry of Justice and Security have been looking together at which sites could be used at short notice for temporary asylum housing. Asylum and Migration Minister Van den Brink said so in answers to parliamentary questions, also on behalf of the Defence minister.

The search covered military barracks and training grounds, as well as other RVB property and land. Sites were assessed on physical suitability, safety, required facilities, logistics and the effect on Defence's primary tasks and growth.

The ministers confirm that local support was among the criteria, alongside feasibility and local circumstances. On these criteria, they say, many possible locations ultimately fell away. Van den Brink considers an overview of the individual sites undesirable, partly because some information concerns Defence's operational deployment.

Sites once offered for asylum housing do not necessarily stay available, the ministers say. In several cases the offer was temporary, and the owner's needs may have changed, for example for Defence sites needed to grow and strengthen the armed forces.

Besides Defence sites, other state real estate and land is also being examined. Because the situation is so urgent, the RVB is in contact with COA, and a number of locations are being investigated further.

The cabinet says it is using every available option to stop people having to sleep outside at the Ter Apel site. These include opening new housing sites, extending temporary sites due to close, temporary emergency shelter on state land or elsewhere, and emergency night shelter in the region.

Separately, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) recorded 1,845 first asylum applications in the Netherlands in August 2026, against 1,965 in August 2025.

The August figure is below July's 1,920 and well below September 2025, when CBS counted 2,700.

## Background

- **COA (Centraal Orgaan opvang asielzoekers)**: The independent government body that houses and looks after asylum seekers while their applications are processed. It runs reception centres across the country and falls under the minister responsible for asylum and migration.
- **Rijksvastgoedbedrijf**: The State Property Agency is the Dutch government agency that manages and maintains the buildings and land owned by the central government. It handles the real estate needs of ministries and other state bodies, including acquiring, renting, developing and selling property. Because it knows which state-owned sites exist and whether they are available, it is often involved when the government needs land or buildings for a new purpose, such as emergency or temporary accommodation.

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