That place is now Huis ter Heide, where many residents believe that the refugees should be allowed to stay there for another year. The petition has now been signed more than 2,000 times. Incidentally, the signature campaign in Huis ter Heide is not the first in the province that advocates an asylum seekers’ center. Residents also started a signature campaign in Houten, but a petition was immediately started there against the arrival of an asylum seekers’ center. Is the municipality of Zeist so unique in its hospitality? “I sometimes hear other sounds through the grapevine,” says Lydia. “But in general people are positive. I always think: go talk to these people. When you hear their story, you will understand it.”
Why residents of Huis ter Heide want to keep their asylum center: ‘When you hear their story, you understand it’
