Luke Ruijs (21) wrote a column about housing shortage among young people in Uitgeest three years ago, cycled through the village with two administrators to find suitable locations and fought together with the municipality and the Youth and Youth Council: early next year, There are twenty new youth homes in Uitgeest.
“They thought it was nice that an eighteen-year-old expressed his opinion in a piece in De Uitgeester”, Luke recalls. So I went cycling through the village with Jack Zwarthoed and Wim Rodenburg of the CDA and we looked for suitable locations for homes.”
Luke was a member of the Youth and Youth Council (JJR) in Uitgeest at the time. “We had to give the municipality solicited and unsolicited advice. After that bike ride, the JJR asked the municipality to investigate a few locations.”
Up to fifteen years
Successfully. Ten studios of 25 square meters and ten apartments of approximately 40 square meters will be built in the coming year on the Benesserlaan, behind the former dental practice.
But the houses will be there temporarily: “They will remain for a maximum of fifteen years”, a spokesperson for the municipality said. After that, so much had to be built in Uitgeest that the apartments would be superfluous again.
“The homes would be there at the end of 2021, the municipality said at the beginning. But yes, those things take time”
There is ultimately four years between Luke and the CDA members and the expected completion. Quite long, Luke thinks. He is supported by his former fellow member and former chairman of the JJR, Boas Plinck (26). In 2020, he was in a meeting about the plan with the municipality and local residents via Zoom, he says.
“A neighbor was strongly against it, and he made that clear. Well, and I am the chairman of the youth council, so I tried to explain that the housing shortage among young people was really high, and still is.”
Boas: “This is one of the reasons why construction has been delayed a bit. The homes would be there by the end of 2021, the municipality said at the beginning. But yes, those things take time.”
Too late
Despite the delay, Luke and Boas are proud of ‘their’ project. Unfortunately, there are no more triumphs for the JJR for the time being: it went out like a candle during the corona time. “It’s really a shame,” says Luke. “The JJR van Uitgeest had existed for 25 years this year, it was the oldest youth council in the Netherlands.”
Another downer: unfortunately the studios and apartments are too late for former chairman Boas. “I was 24 as chairman, so I didn’t get priority anymore. Now I’m 26 and I have a full-time job: I want to buy something.” He sighs: “But that’s also very difficult, even if you just have a great job like me.”
Priority Position
Luke, who was number seven in the local branch of the VVD last week, may be able to reap the benefits of his own success: “I live with my parents, but I am registered with SVNK (the housing association, ed. .).”
Unfortunately, he has not obtained a priority position with his efforts. Not more than other Uitgeesters in any case: young people (up to 23 years old) and starters from Uitgeest do have priority over other interested parties.
Luke: “I’ll have to see if I get one of these apartments, there will be a lot of young people signing up.”