The first debate about the new Amstelveen housing vision 2023-2030 mainly turned into a fierce discussion last night. It dealt with the issue of whether the municipality should temporarily relinquish its duty to receive asylum seekers and allocate social rental housing to Amstelveners who have been waiting for a home for years. The trial balloon that the VVD released caused frowned eyebrows and surprised reactions.
Housing pressure is highest in Amstelveen, which is why a strong housing vision for the coming years is given high priority. ‘Go build for Amstelveners’ was perhaps the most important message the council received from residents who attended the meeting last Tuesday. consultation evening about the new housing vision were present. Some of them have been waiting for social housing for years. The average waiting time for such a home in Amstelveen is around sixteen years.
In the concept housing vision, the municipality expresses the ambition to allocate about half of the social rental homes to Amstelveners or home seekers who are economically bound to Amstelveen. She also wants to build temporary homes for this group.
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But VVD party chairman Jet Smit expects that these ambitions will not solve the problem (quickly). According to her, there is ‘repression.’ “It can no longer be explained that a status holder is allocated a home in a relatively short time, while an Amstelveen youth has to wait 16 years or more for a home,” she opened the debate.
“These are not the people who are pushing each other out. In Amstelveen, social rental homes are being replaced by expensive owner-occupied homes”
Her proposal to temporarily ignore the target housing permit holders imposed by the government has caused resistance from many other parties. “The inclement wind that blows from the right… I don’t know the Amstelveen VVD that way. They are usually more progressive than we are used to from The Hague. Let’s hope that this trial balloon will not fly,” says councilor Arnout van den Bosch of the PvdA.
Every six months, the national government determines how many beneficiaries municipalities must provide a place to live. This number is included in the target for housing permit holders. The number of asylum seekers to be admitted depends on the number of inhabitants of the municipality. In the first half of 2023, a total of 21,000 status holders must be distributed across all municipalities.
Citizen member Herman van Veelen of the ChristenUnie is shocked by the VVD’s proposal. “I find it very problematic to play off groups that are both having a very difficult time against each other. These are not the people who are pushing each other out. In Amstelveen, social rental homes are being replaced by expensive owner-occupied homes.” Citizens’ member Edwin Lima of the SP even calls the proposal ‘discriminatory’ and ‘elitist.’
“Priority schemes put people who have been waiting for a home for 16 years at a disadvantage”
Yet there is not only criticism. Active for Amstelveen (AVA) and BvNL do support Smit’s proposal. Group chairman of BvNL Yaron van Koningsveld: “Article 1 of the constitution states that you are not allowed to discriminate. But priority schemes put people who have been waiting for a home for 16 years at a disadvantage. We have to be honest with the government: Amstelveen does not have the space to accommodate everyone.”
The government determined that Amstelveen must house 111 status holders in the first half of 2023. The municipality is well on its way, but must find a home for 45 of them before July 1. After that, she will be assigned a new number of status holders.
Responsibility
Smit therefore proposes to temporarily ignore that assignment. “Amsterdam does not meet the target either,” she adds. The capital is indeed lagging behind and has to house some 1,444 status holders before 1 July.
Nevertheless, VVD alderman for Housing Adam Elzakalai thinks it is a bad idea to build up a backlog in the housing of refugees, it appears during the debate. “It’s not possible, because we have a task. […] It is sometimes incredibly difficult to explain to someone who has been on a waiting list for 16 years that a status holder is given priority, but we take our responsibility.”