The reception of refugees is a major problem because there are too few beds are in asylum seekers’ centres. Status holders do not move on to their own home in time. The scarcity of available social rental housing plays a role. NU.nl answers questions from visitors.
The main cause of the full reception is that one in three reception places is occupied by asylum seekers with a residence permit (status holders). Minister for Housing Hugo de Jonge urges municipalities to fulfill their mandate. This means that they must give priority to more status holders when allocating a home.
Questions from visitors came in via NUj, such as “What percentage of the homes go to refugees?”, “Is there a moment when the maximum is reached?” and “What influence do asylum seekers have on the housing shortage?”.
Of most refugees who have come to the Netherlands in the past five years come from Syria, where a war has been raging for eleven years. Another large group comes from Eritrea, where a totalitarian regime tortures civilians if, for example, they evade military service. Since Russia invaded their country for a few months, many Ukrainian refugees have also come this way. Every year, between fifteen and twenty thousand refugees apply for asylum.
Housing stock figures
- The Netherlands has almost 7.7 million homes.
- 60% of the houses are owner-occupied.
- 40 percent of the houses consists of rental properties. By far the largest part (70 percent) of this is in the hands of housing associations.
- The rents of about 90 percent of the homes are regulated (affordable). That is about 2.8 million homes.
- The government has set itself the target of building 100,000 homes per year, of which a third (33,000) must consist of social housing. Last year there were 80,000, of which only 15,000 are social housing.
- The shortage is growing faster, because social rental homes are also being demolished, sold or liberalized. There is therefore more influx from abroad than affordable houses (for the target group) are being built.
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Status holders and labor migrants are looking for housing
If a refugee has completed the asylum procedure and is entitled to a residence permit, he or she is a status holder and permanent housing is required. Municipalities are given the task of housing status holders every six months, but they are lagging behind enormously. In the past five years, there were an average of 20,000 status holders per year.
Normally, 9 percent of the homes that become available in social housing are reserved for status holders. De Jonge may want to increase this to 12.5 percent to make up for the deficit. As a result of relocations, approximately 200,000 houses become vacant every year, but that number depends on movements in the housing market. For example, there are people who move to an owner-occupied home, and migrants who return to their country of origin after a stay. There are also status holders who can pay for an owner-occupied home fairly quickly after integration.
In the report A home for everyone from last year it is stated that the Netherlands has an estimated 500,000 labor migrants. They would be necessary because of a shortage in the labor market. The Netherlands is aging rapidly, the number of over-75s will double in the coming decades to almost three million. Many of them would also like to move. It is impossible to say how many people of Dutch descent are looking for a (social) home. There are often waiting lists more than seven years† There is a shortage of almost 300,000 homes, but that is about buying and renting together, and that number never becomes 0.
“The social housing challenge is particularly great due to the growing group of labor migrants and the aging population, which means that more people are living alone but still need care.”
Bernard ter Haar, chair of the working group housing for attention groups
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Bernard ter Haar, chair of a working group on housing for ‘focus groups’, says the arrival of refugees and migrant workers is an important reason to accelerate housing construction. “Our advice last year was therefore to convert existing buildings into living space and to install temporary flexible housing in the short term. In addition, a large part of the permanent new construction must be affordable and available to target groups.”
In addition to refugees, these are, for example, people who move on from mental health care. They can apply for a so-called urgency statement† Status holders are entitled to such an urgent declaration.
In the bigger picture, the group of status holders is small, says Ter Haar. “I think that from a social point of view you should do as much as possible to accommodate refugees if they have to build up their new life here. The social housing challenge is great due to the growing group of labor migrants and the aging population, which means that more people are living alone, but need care.”
“Migrant workers are part of our economic model, but I think that employers should also bear a responsibility with regard to housing. The same applies to the influx of foreign students. They are financially interesting for universities, but then they must provide sufficient housing. there is displacement and Dutch students cannot find a room.”
150,000 social rental homes disappeared in six years
According to urban geographer Cody Hochstenbach, the housing shortage is largely caused by political policy. He points out in his book worn out notes that housing associations have sold, demolished or liberalized 150,000 houses in the past six years. With liberalization rents go up sharply because the price is no longer protected. Those houses will then no longer be available to status holders, among others.
“The policy is aimed at ensuring that as many people as possible can participate in the party of wealth accumulation through their own home, but that system is starting to beep and crack,” he said in an interview with the newspaper. AD† Building more affordable, social rental housing should be a priority in his view. Ter Haar also notes that there has been “a net loss” of affordable housing. “You cannot solve those serious shortages by yourself. Fortunately, the landlord levy abolished so that corporations can build considerably more.”
