New Region Deal Parkstad Limburg II launched

Today the Parkstad Executive Board unanimously approved the allocation of grants from the Regio Deal 2.0 for various for projects in the region. The amount involved is over 5 million euros. In total, the State has made 25 million euros available to work on a sustainable and vital region of Parkstad Limburg with a powerful profile. This financial injection is intended to promote regional cooperation and address common challenges. Alderman Tim Weijers (also chairman of the Executive Committee for Housing and Restructuring City Region Parkstad Limburg) sees in this the power of a regional approach: "Within the Regio Deal, cooperation is found to actually break the trend as the Parkstad region in catching up with backlogs and tackling problem areas. This cooperation is essential because these problems are not limited to municipal boundaries. This joint approach allows us in Kerkrade to work even more energetically to improve livability and safety in our town."

FacilitiesWijzer

One of the projects funded is the continuation of the VoorzieningenWijzer, for which a grant of €190,000 was awarded. The VoorzieningenWijzer helps people with incomes up to modal in choosing and applying for facilities. This initiative not only helps reduce financial risks, but also supports the realization of goals in both the social and physical domains. The VoorzieningenWijzer is already deployed in Rolduckerveld and will continue to be deployed in our municipality based on this award.

Chance start

Another important project is the continuation of Kansrijke Start, for which €700,000 has been allocated. Kansrijke Start focuses on providing optimal support to (expectant) parents in vulnerable situations to give children a healthy and safe start in life. This approach has already achieved success in Kerkrade and will be further strengthened with the new funding.

Addressing juvenile crime

An amount of € 1,258,000 has been allocated to tackle youth crime in Parkstad. This includes the implementation of the Integral Youth Approach Parkstad, a uniform work process to identify, support or deal with young people. School safety is a priority here, with interventions to be implemented from 2024-2026. "Juvenile crime also involves problems that cross municipal boundaries. By working together on this, we can actually achieve results. It is good that we will be able to continue this in the coming years," said Mayor Petra Dassen.

Focus area Kerkrade East

The remaining subsidy space of over €19 million from Region Deal 2.0 will be reserved for future applications in 2024. To this end, Kerkrade is developing an integrated area program for Kerkrade East, based on the Kerkrade East Ambition Plan. This plan, drawn up in cooperation with core partners, will be ready in the first quarter of next year and will focus on improving broad welfare in this district.

Other Region Deal projects

From the Region Deal 2.0, grants are also being awarded to projects to promote cross-border cooperation and strengthen the quality of life in the Schinveld and Ubachsberg cores. These grants represent an important step in strengthening regional cooperation and addressing societal challenges.