The 56 municipalities in Brabant still have to house 5,500 refugees with a residence permit this year. It is a major task for the aldermen in those municipalities, but not impossible, they say. “Status holders are as urgent as all other urgent house seekers in our municipality. We have to stop thinking in different groups.”
Mieke Verhees is alderman for housing of the municipality of Eindhoven. She sometimes has stomach aches. She finds it difficult that it is difficult for many people to start their own lives. “Young people who want to live on their own or people who need a new home for whatever reason. The problem is dire,” she says.
“We are facing a huge task.”
But status holders who need a place before the end of this year are also just new residents, she says immediately afterwards. They also want to get on with their lives and are faced with the same housing shortage. “Status holders are as urgent as all other urgent house seekers in our municipality. We have to stop thinking in different groups.”
Because that is what unfortunately often happens, says her colleague in Breda, Arjen van Drunen. “We are facing an enormous task. The worst thing that can happen is that groups are pitted against each other. This splits society.”
Nevertheless, Van Drunen also sees that it is complicated. The social rental homes in Breda are not evenly distributed across the city. This creates a dichotomy: a part of the city where everything is going well and neighborhoods that are lagging behind.
“We are now working hard to improve the quality of life in those neighborhoods and make them safer. But these are the neighborhoods with the most social rental homes. Status holders often end up there.”
“It is a moral task not to forget all home seekers.”
That is why Breda wants houses to be built in other places. For example, two hundred temporary homes will be built near the NAC stadium and one hundred in Teteringen. One third of the homes are for status holders, two thirds for other home seekers. “We have a legal task to house status holders. But we must not forget all those seeking housing, not even in the neighborhoods where this is already difficult.”
Alderman Gaby van den Waardenburg in Helmond is happy with the relatively large number of social rental homes in her municipality. Yet there is a big task. “We not only have to build more houses, but also work on circulation. If the elderly can move to another nice place, large family homes often become available.”
“It has been established that these people are really on the run.”
The alderman thinks that Helmonders understand that the municipality must house refugees. “They also see the images from Ter Apel. It has been established that people with a residence permit are really on the run. They also have the right to a future and want to commit themselves to the community. We just have to arrange that.”
Van den Waardenburg does hope for action from The Hague. “There are already delays in the registration of refugees. If that runs more smoothly, we will have a much more even flow of permit holders to accommodate. Due to the current backlogs, it is often many people at once. That makes it more complicated.”
None of these aldermen thinks that housing these numbers of status holders is impossible. Mieke Verhees: “Because of this group, the waiting list is barely getting any longer. The housing shortage is simply great. We have to keep building and, above all, look at all opportunities, such as building homes in existing buildings. For example, housing must be created for everyone who needs it. “
See below how many status holders your municipality still needs to accommodate before 1 January.
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