Will Yasin’s family soon end up living in a moldy container in Castricum?

Seven years ago, Yasin decided to flee Turkey with his wife Seval (39) and his then two children. According to Yasin and Seval, they were no longer safe there because he spoke out critically against President Erdogan’s regime. “If you are against Erdogan, you quickly become a terrorist in Turkey,” he says.

“We were in hiding for almost two years and my wife got pregnant. She had to give birth in a secret hospital. After our youngest daughter Selin was born, we had to get out of there as quickly as possible. Shortly after we left there, the police burst in. We had left just in time.

The constant fear of being arrested makes the family desperate. They decide to leave family, friends and their home country behind and board a refugee boat, heading for a better life. They came to the Netherlands two years ago and received a temporary residence permit six months later. Since then they have lived on the Alkmaar Picassolaan.

But that residential complex will be demolished next year. A new residential area will take its place. More than 100 status holders who are currently being accommodated at Picassolaan in Alkmaar will move to Castricum. The municipality of Alkmaar was allowed to temporarily house status holders and other emergency seekers on Picassolaan due to a lack of space.

It is not yet known where this large group of people will live. And that uncertainty gives Yasin and Seval sleepless nights. “We are worried about the future. Our children are doing very well at school and are learning Dutch quickly. My son even goes to the Murmellius Gymnasium. After years of uncertainty, we are ready for stability and peace.”

Ninth school

12-year-old Tekin also prefers to stay in Alkmaar, because moving again also means saying goodbye. “I think this is my ninth school, I really don’t want that. I’ve made a hundred friends, I just want one friend and somewhere to stay.”

In the video, Yasin explains which Dutch expression he keeps hearing when he wants clarity (text continues below):

Due to the housing shortage, the municipality of Castricum accommodates some of the status holders and emergency seekers in converted container homes. Two years ago, 46 ​​units of approximately 23 m2 were built at the Puikman in Castricum. However, according to several residents, the living conditions are terrible. The containers are said to be leaking, full of mold and poorly insulated.

‘Sick more often and cough a lot’

“In the summer it is very hot here, but in the winter it is so cold that there is fog on your windows,” says Brahim (39), one of the residents. “The ventilation grilles don’t work. Your bedding, your clothes, everything stinks of damp. It’s bursting with cracks and holes, so opening a window doesn’t work either. When all the windows are closed, you feel the wind blowing through the walls. I’m sick more often and you hear a lot of people coughing here.”

Brahim has two children, but due to his living situation, they mainly live with their mother. “My daughter has asthma and when she stays here sometimes, we often have to puff at night. No children can live here. I really have to clean everything with bleach every week, otherwise the mold will return immediately.”

NH received a tour from residents of a number of container homes on the Puikman in Castricum. Mold and stains from leakage were found in many places. View the photos here:

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Emergency seeker Joris (22) has also suffered from health problems since he lived at the Puikman. “I have a lot of problems with my throat, but when I stopped smoking the complaints persisted,” he says, pointing out the leakage stains and mold in his container. “I have to cough a lot and I’m not the only one. If you go to the toilet here at night or walk across the hall in the morning, you hear almost everyone coughing.”

In the hall, a man with two small children is just closing the door behind him. He would like to remain anonymous, but he also suffers from leakage and mold formation. “I live here with my daughter and I have fallen in love with a woman who lives below me. That is her son,” he says, pointing to the boy. “Since we live here, we often have colds and cough a lot. This is not a clean and healthy living environment for us, and certainly not for our children.”

Rent increased

Despite the unhealthy living situation, the rent has recently been increased, says Joris. “The basic rent is 420 euros, but the service costs have gone up, so we now pay 688 euros. An absurd amount of money for a leaky and moldy container.”

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According to manager Viktor Rotteveel of Flexwonen NH, previous leaks have now been resolved and no new reports have been received since then. “We are in discussions with an expert to look at the mold formation again. We hope to be able to provide clarity about this soon.”

Additional containers

For now, it seems that most status holders and emergency seekers who have to move from Picassolaan to Castricum will live in such a container. The municipality has indicated in a response that it will build additional container units. “The location is not yet known,” a spokesperson said.

It is not clear whether alternative housing will be available for larger families, such as Yasin’s. “The five of us would never fit in such a container,” he responds. “Moreover, this is also temporary,” Yasin responds. “The municipality keeps saying: ‘it will be fine’, but we want clarity. First see, then believe.”

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Their lives have not been normal for almost seven years now, Seval explains. “We have no family or friends here and have to start over again and again. “We want to work, build something from a permanent place. But if you always have to move and only live with other status holders, integration is very difficult.”

“My heart hurts, especially for my children,” she continues emotionally. “Again that uncertainty of: where are we going? Taking my children out of their familiar environment again, at a new school. There are families living here with 4, sometimes 6 children. You cannot put entire families in a container.”