Justice Sec: Shared housing for asylum seekers a necessity

Housing corporations are planning unorthodox measures to provide housing to tens of thousands of refugees with a residency permit in the coming months. State Secretary Klaas Dijkhoff agrees that unorthodox measures are needed to find homes for refugees. The housing corporations want to turn empty government buildings and care homes into housing and have refugees share social housing. They also want to put down small, often temporary buildings. In addition to that, they want an investment plan to build more affordable rental housing in the long term, Marc Calon, chairman of the association of housing corporations Aedes, said to the Volkskrant on Friday. Aedes is meeting with Klaas Dijkhoff of Security and Justice and Minister Stef Blok of Housing on Friday to discuss the possibilities and hopefully come up with a plan. Dijkhoff agrees that unorthodox measures may be necessary in this matter. broadcaster NOS reports. He wants to get rid of the image that everyone with a residency permit will immediately be offered a home and that everyone else who is looking for a rental home will have to wait. He also emphasized that refugees already have the possibility to arrange housing for themselves, for example with a family member or friend. People who use this so-called self-care arrangement receive compensation because it frees up beds in asylum centers.