How big the problem is exactly is unclear: there are not enough figures about it.
There is, however, a counting of the GGD: a total of 188 homeless families came to the emergency shelter between July 2023 and July 2024. The average age of an adult, almost always a woman, was 35 years.
Half of the families had one child. But the problem seems a lot bigger, the children’s ombudsman sees. Since the beginning of this year, for example, 98 roof and homeless families have reported to the neighborhood team in Southeast.
In the research report ‘Care for homeless families in Amsterdam’, she mentions various causes, with crispy examples. On the one hand, families themselves do not ask for help and on the other hand the living situation of families is not always picked up by authorities. “Then it has often escalated: there is insecurity, debts, mental problems and families can no longer go to their own network.”
Prevent home evictions
The Ombudsman for Children argues for more research into the causes of homelessness so that families come into the picture earlier.
For example, house evictions must be prevented if there is no insight into another home. It must also be looked at ‘creative’ living solutions, with a view to the housing shortage in the city. That can be a house inside or outside the city.
This should prevent one of the most fundamental rights for children, the right to a safe home, not being violated. That is too often the case now. Children Hopping from couch to bank, have no place to do homework or to be able to play. “They can’t just be a child, because they feel Nowhere at home. “This can lead to serious problems in both the short and long term, such as addiction, depression, trauma or homelessness at a later age.
Reception overcrowded
Although Amsterdam is already doing more than other municipalities, namely offering emergency shelter for homeless families, it is not yet enough, according to the Ombudsman for Children.
Because the shelter is overcrowded, it is only available for families with a bond with the city. As a result, an increasingly larger group of children falls outside the boat. The municipality must therefore intervene, the recommendation is. “And ensure that living together pays off instead that people are punished for this and that temporary living solutions must also be able to apply to families.”