Government and councils agree faster housing for refugees granted residence permits (statushouders) and starters
The cabinet, provinces, municipalities and housing corporations have agreed to add quick forms of housing for people in urgent need. The housing minister says this will ease pressure on social rental homes.
The national government, provinces, municipalities and housing corporations have agreed to speed up housing for people who urgently need a home, such as starters, people who have just divorced and status holders. The cabinet decided this on a proposal from Housing Minister Elanor Boekholt-O'Sullivan, who also spoke for Ministers Van den Brink (Asylum and Migration) and Aartsen (Work and Participation).
Why it matters
- Municipalities must provide additional forms of housing for 20% of the status holders they are due to house.
- The backlog of status holders still in reception centres is to be cleared with additional housing places, not existing social rental homes.
- The ambitions cover a period of 1.5 years.
The agreements focus on forms of housing that can be built or arranged quickly and are open to a broad group of people, such as flex homes, converted vacant buildings or home sharing. Housing corporations will help municipalities with the task.
The accord sets out the roles of the national government, municipalities, provinces and corporations. The national government will immediately organise targeted support for municipalities and corporations, with money, knowledge and capacity. The cabinet is also preparing a replacement bill for a ban on priority for status holders.
Boekholt-O'Sullivan called the agreements an important step towards helping this group of people looking for a home faster. "With these agreements there will be less pressure on the large demand for social rental homes," she said.
Van den Brink said: "I am glad that through this accord we can ease the pressure on asylum reception and that status holders can go on building their lives in the Netherlands." He added that more grip on migration remains essential.
Last month the cabinet presented the Actieplan Versnellen Woningbouw, an action plan to speed up house building, with 50 concrete actions to build more, faster and better.
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woningcorporaties
Housing corporations are non-profit organisations that own and manage most of the rented social housing in the Netherlands. They rent out homes at regulated, affordable rents, mainly to people with lower incomes, and they build and renovate homes in cooperation with municipalities. In this agreement, they work with the national government, provinces and municipalities to speed up housing for people who urgently need a home.
statushouders
Status holders are people who have been granted a residence permit in the Netherlands after applying for asylum and being recognised as refugees or otherwise in need of protection. They are allowed to live and work here, and they need their own home, which municipalities are responsible for helping to arrange. Because many status holders leave the reception centres and need housing quickly, they are one of the groups this agreement aims to help.