Municipal councilor Aafje Roks (24) from Valkenswaard will leave the council on Friday because she cannot find a rental home in her hometown. The tight housing market is now also affecting young politicians. Also with the contacts of Aafje, who is on the municipal council for the VOTE party with her own alderman, she has not been able to find an affordable home there. From Friday she is no longer from Valkenswaard but from Eindhoven.
“I’ve been registered with the housing association for 6 years without results. For about 5 months I’ve also been searching on housing site Funda outside the municipal boundaries. Now I finally have a bite, but in Eindhoven. From Friday I’ll be registered there and the rules will dictate that I can no longer sit on the city council in Valkenswaard.”
Aafje announced about three months ago within her party VOTE that she was also looking for a home outside Valkenswaard outside the municipal boundaries. “That was something to swallow for everyone, despite the fact that we have good replacements ready. I would have preferred to find something in Valkenswaard, but apparently the housing market for first-time buyers is very difficult here.”
“I was looking for an apartment for a maximum of 1300 euros and a minimum of 50 square meters, which should be doable.”
Now Aafje still lives at home. “I’m almost 25 and would like to live with my boyfriend. I’m the last one living at home and I think it’s very healthy for everyone that I’m moving out.”
Now Aafje’s housing wishes were not excessive, which meant that things went wrong in her birthplace Valkenswaard. “I was looking for an apartment of at least 50 square meters and a maximum rent of 1300 euros excluding gas, water and light. We finally found that in Eindhoven. We will be moving there on September 1 in an apartment of 55 square meters and 1250 euros rent. There were also many applicants for this and we were really lucky.”
“My heart remains in Valkenswaard, I will not go into Eindhoven politics.”
The rental contract in Eindhoven is for one year. Aafje really wants to go back to Valkenswaard. “I grew up there and I feel at home there. If I manage to find something in my hometown in a year’s time, then I’ll see how the political flag hangs. I keep thinking along with VOTE. I also don’t have the ambition to be active in Eindhoven politics.”
It has not yet been possible to get a response from the Valkenswaard alderman for ‘Housing’ about the shortage of homes for first-time buyers in Valkenswaard.