Multiple cities have no record of how many students are looking for a room

Multiple cities are unaware of how many students are currently studying without a permanent residence. Especially, foreign students have difficulties finding accommodation in various cities in the Netherlands.

The municipality of Amsterdam, for example, does not have an overview of the number of students who currently do not have a room. The University of Amsterdam has had to accommodate students in hostels and a holiday park.

The municipality of Maastricht also does not know how many students in the city are without a permanent residence. An employee of the Maastricht University housing department referred to councilor Alexander Lurvink. The counselor appealed to students to report to him at the end of August if they were unable to find housing. So far, Lurvink has received more than 400 reports, mainly from foreign students. “It is shocking that the municipality and the university have no insight into this”, Lurvink said.

The municipalities of Rotterdam and of Wageningen were also unable to provide concrete figures on the number of students looking for a room.

President of the National Student Union (LSVb) Ama Boahene said it is “disturbing” that some municipalities do not have an overview of the situation. The union itself has a hotline that foreign students can call if they have housing problems. The LSVb receives around 50 reports each week from students who were unable to find a house.

Students in Groningen occupied the Academy Building of the university on Thursday to draw attention to the shortage of housing in the city. In Amsterdam, a protest will take place at 2 p.m. in the Westerpark against the housing shortage in the Netherlands.