Crisisnoodopvang Veenendaal (Wageningselaan)
A crisis emergency shelter in the former BelCompany building at Wageningselaan 2 in Veenendaal housed around 236 asylum seekers. Residents twice protested in 2023 over conditions, complaining of mouldy bread, a multi-day power cut, overcrowded rooms with little privacy and slow asylum procedures, prompting the municipality to add living space and sanitary facilities. The council later approved turning the site into a long-term COA location for about 250 people for twenty years.
Occupancy
240
people (Aug 2025)
Per night
€184
per person (benchmark)
Annual
€16m
estimated
Background
The site sits at Wageningselaan, Veenendaal. It is run by the COA (Centraal Orgaan opvang asielzoekers), the Dutch government’s asylum-reception agency. For what the azc / noodopvang categories mean and how Dutch reception spending breaks down, open the cost panel on the interactive map with the Netherlands selected in Settings.
In the news
Jun 2023
Mouldy bread, power cuts and lack of privacy: refugees sound the alarm over Veenendaal crisis shelter
RTV Utrecht reported residents' complaints of mouldy food, a five-day electrical failure that left the building without air conditioning, and crowded rooms with up to eight beds. Residents said about 80 percent of occupants shared the grievances.
RTV Utrecht · source
Sep 2023
Renewed unrest at Veenendaal crisis shelter as residents demonstrate
Around 30 residents again protested outside the Wageningselaan shelter, saying their situation had not improved nearly three months after earlier complaints, citing slow procedures and poor food. The municipality said it had expanded living and sanitary facilities.
RTV Utrecht · source
2025
Plan for long-term reception at Wageningselaan 2
The municipality set out plans for a long-term COA reception location of about 250 places at Wageningselaan 2 for twenty years, with a transition and renovation programme from the crisis shelter and stakeholder consultation meetings.
Gemeente Veenendaal · source
Compiled from public Dutch news reports (each item links to its source). Where a municipality runs more than one reception location, attribution to this specific address reflects the cited report and may be approximate — always check the linked source.
Timeline
Jun 2023
Residents raise the alarm over conditions
Asylum seekers reported mouldy food, a five-day power outage and crowded rooms with up to eight beds and thin walls.
Sep 2023
Renewed protest at the shelter
Around 30 residents demonstrated again, saying their situation had not improved and citing stalled asylum procedures and poor food.
Apr 2025
Council backs long-term COA location
Council decided Wageningselaan 2 could become a long-term COA reception location of about 250 places for twenty years.
Cost
Dutch asylum reception is funded by central government through the COA. At an illustrative benchmark of about €184 per person per night for emergency reception (noodopvang), the 240 people recorded here on 13 August 2025 imply roughly €16m per year. This is an order-of-magnitude figure for context only, not a site-specific invoice — emergency reception typically runs around three times the cost of a regular centre.
Sources
COA / Rijksoverheid (Kamerstuk, 5 Sep 2025) · 2025-08-13. View source
Occupancy is the COA register snapshot of 13 August 2025 and may have changed since. Coordinates were geocoded from the published street address via the official PDOK Locatieserver.