Social housing won't go to Ukrainian refugees over current residents: Housing corporations

Social housing associations in the Netherlands are standing firm on their insistence that the reception of Ukrainian refugees is not at the expense of those who have been waiting for a low-priced rental home for a long time. 

Vestia and Ymere have indicated along with other housing associations that they will not withdraw any homes from their stock due to the shortage on the housing market. However, they've said that they are helping in other ways.

Ymere is active in the municipalities of Amsterdam, Almere and Haarlemmermeer, and several other cities. So far, the housing association has found spaces where about a hundred displaced Ukrainians can be accommodated. 

Amsterdam housing associations have come together to arrange five complexes where Ukrainian refugees can be housed, including adapted business spaces, offices, and schools. Those buildings can be made suitable for temporary occupancy with minor renovations, a spokesperson said. 

The corporation emphasized that regular homes are not an option for emergency shelter. "This is additional, so it does not run through existing agreements about home seekers," said a spokesperson.

Amsterdam has asked all active housing associations within its municipality to find places for refugees to be accommodated, a spokesperson for the Amsterdam Federation of Housing Corporations (AFWC) explained. Five complexes have since been found, each with numerous living spaces.

The Netherlands is faced with a tight housing market and in Amsterdam, the pressure on the housing stock is even more than in other areas of the country. 

Consequently, there are not many options for offering alternative accommodation in the city, the AFWC said. In the southeast of the country, a Limburg housing corporation was able to temporarily offer homes set to be demolished as refugee shelter. Those spaces in Amsterdam are already being used for people who are without a home for economic reasons, and who do not have issues with addiction or problems with mental health.

Housing and Spatial Planning Minister Hugo de Jonge has said that despite the lack of housing stock, he recognizes how important it is to provide Ukrainians with emergency shelter in the short term, and proper housing in the long term. Nevertheless, he stressed that "all the options that are available are currently being utilized." 

It will be no easy feat to provide Ukrainian refugees with desperately needed housing. "That is very hard work because the shortage on the housing market is of course already very great," De Jonge said. He also mentioned that he would be willing to amend housing laws and regulations if this would speed up the process. 

Vestia has said they are doing their party by offering more than fifty "guest houses" for the reception of refugees in Delft, The Hague, and Zoetermeer. These are available to residents who have to temporarily leave their rented homes due to renovations or major maintenance work can stay. Vestia also said that no homes will be withdrawn from the housing association stock.

Guesthouses offer a temporary solution for the reception of Ukrainian refugees, but there is still no date for when refugees may be able to move in. It will also depend on when those guest homes are needed for a renovation or maintenance project.