Salvation Army: 10,000 cheap rental homes needed for Dutch homeless

At least 10 thousand new cheap rental homes are needed to solve the growing problem of homeless people sleeping on the streets, Cornel Vader, director of the Salvation Army's Care and Welfare Department, said to NOS. 

On Budget Day tomorrow, the government is presenting its budget for next year, which includes improving the purchase power for most income groups in the Netherlands. But according to the Salvation Army, the homeless are being overlooked.

"We so much want that something be done for the people in our society who have nothing", Vader said to the broadcaster. "For that 10 thousand homes are needed with rent no more than 400 euros. They can be simple: containers, small apartments, types of student rooms of 20 square meters. As long as they come. For this group that, combined with the proper guidance, will be a crucial first step towards a solution."

According to the Salvation Army's preliminary figures, the number of newcomers to the homeless shelters in the Netherlands increased from 3,200 in the first half of 2015 to 3,900 in the first half of this year. Statistics Netherlands also reported an increase in homeless people in the Netherlands - a massive 13 thousand people became homeless in the past six years.