On Monday, the cabinet announced a multi-million dollar plan to improve the quality of life in vulnerable neighbourhoods. Responsible minister Hugo de Jonge (Public Housing and Spatial Planning, CDA) is investing 600 million euros in better public housing, that money comes from a fund intended for that purpose. In addition, 82 million euros will be released for the prevention of juvenile crime. Finally, the government will invest 20 million in poverty reduction.
Also read: Hugo de Jonge: ‘Everyone has to work on making their home more sustainable’
To improve vulnerable neighbourhoods, the cabinet has selected nineteen municipalities, containing twenty neighbourhoods. A total of 1.2 million people live there. The neighborhoods are spread all over the Netherlands. The intention is, among other things, to improve some 25,000 private homes there. This must be done through renovation, sustainability, replacement new construction and a ‘transformation from real estate to housing’.
According to Minister De Jonge, various social problems are piling up in the neighbourhoods. “For the neighborhoods where liveability and safety are under pressure, it takes a lot of perseverance and perseverance.” Minister Franc Weerwind (Legal Protection, D66) states that “criminal temptations” lurk in an unsafe environment. That is why he invests millions in a preventive approach to prevent young people from ending up in crime early.