Dutch gov't scraps refugee priority for social housing
Housing Minister Mona Keijzer (BBB) is ready to submit her bill that would ban municipalities from giving refugees priority for social housing, insiders told the Telegraaf. Keijzer says she wants to give everyone an equal chance for social housing. The bill will likely have dire consequences for the already structurally overcrowded asylum centers in the Netherlands.
Municipalities are currently allowed to give refugees priority on the waiting lists for social housing. The priority is meant to relieve pressure from the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA), which has had more asylum seekers needing shelter than beds for many years. Part of the problem is the housing shortage in the Netherlands. Refugees - asylum seekers whose application was approved and received a residency permit - are stuck staying in asylum centers because there is nowhere else for them to go, meaning their beds can’t be used for new asylum seekers.
The waiting lists for social housing in the Netherlands are very long. On average, home seekers who qualify wait seven years for a home, research from 2023 showed. In cities, the waiting period is often longer. According to the PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB coalition, municipalities giving priority to refugees contribute to the waiting lists. Keijzer’s bill will, therefore, ban the practice.
Municipalities will remain responsible for housing refugees. Though, according to the Telegraaf’s sources, Keijzer is also working on a bill to scrap that responsibility. Refugees can still register for social housing, they’ll just end up on the waiting list with everyone else.
The Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG) is concerned about this move. “By abolishing priority, the flow to follow-up housing will become virtually impossible. This seems to stagnate the flow, which means chaos in the [asylum] chain is lurking,” the VNG warned in a letter to the Cabinet last month.
Aedes, the umbrella organization for housing corporations, is also critical. In a letter to parliament last week, Aedes warned that not giving refugees quick access to a home will hinder their naturalization and integration. They will struggle for longer to build their lives, which means they will be less able to contribute to society.
While Keijzer is taking measures that will stagnate the outflow from asylum shelters, her colleague, Asylum Minister Marjolein Faber, is trying to entice municipalities to house more refugees. On Friday, Faber announced that she was prepared to pay municipalities 30,000 euros if they take in a refugee who is currently waiting for a home in a COA shelter. She is also pushing municipalities to set up “transition locations” where refugees can start their lives in the Netherlands while waiting for more permanent housing. She will pay 60 euros per day per person in such a transition location.
