The twelve municipalities in Drenthe must have housed 382 status holders before the second half of this year. “It’s not about very large numbers for us,” says Klijnsma. And Drenthe has things in order. Because more status holders were given a place in the first six months of the year than necessary, the province has a small lead. That is why there are still 346 status holders who must be given a place in Drenthe before the end of the year.
So far, the twelve municipalities have already realized 163. So there are still 183 status holders to be given a place. The municipalities of Assen and Emmen in particular are responsible for many status holders. The municipalities of Aa and Hunze and Tynaarlo are still struggling with a considerable backlog. And if they don’t clear that backlog, they’ll carry over to next year’s assignment.
Not only the mayors had come for the consultation with Klijnsma, but also the aldermen who deal with housing. It was examined how extra space could be created for the status holders. “The housing market is simply very tight,” says Klijnsma. “We talked about, for example, office buildings that can serve as an interim solution.” Status holders can then wait there until they have a home, instead of in an asylum seekers’ center. Then they don’t keep those places occupied, and that should promote the flow.
But other interim solutions have also been considered. To flexible units. “That is an idea that Minister Hugo de Jonge (Public Housing and Spatial Planning) recently came up with. You can place those units anywhere. In the long term you can use them again for starters or students. That is certainly an idea we are looking for. to look.”