Non-profit organizations consider giving up Asylum Reception Centre operations
The Asylum’s Industry’s only two non-profit reception centre operators have threatened to withdraw from the service if conditions aren’t improved.
After the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) announced more centre closures this week, it may be towards the end of an era for asylum reception centres run by Norsk Folkehjelp, according to Aftenposten newspaper.
The non-profit organization has been operating for 30 years.
‘What you are doing now is rubbishing serious operators. There is a risk of having the asylum sector run by operators who are mostly concerned with easy money’, said Henriette Killi Westhrin, Secretary General of Norsk Folkehjelp.
She believes there is too little money invested into asylum centres to be able to function properly, with low wages for employees, and a poor quality for the residents that the organization can’t support.
‘If we are going to be able to continue, Parliament must get a grip on the situation,’ said Norsk Folkehjelp’s leader.
Respirator switched off
Since the year 2000, Norsk Folkehjelp has created 27 asylum reception centres, and closed down 23.
The other asylum reception centre operator, Sana, is also considering giving up.
At their busiest, they operated 16 reception centres, but now have just four left.
‘This is about our existence. It was already dramatic when we had to close down eight reception centres last year.
When we were left with only six, the respirator had to be switched on. When another two centres lost their contracts last month, they switched the life support machine off’, said general manager, Bjørn Halvorsen.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
