Zuid-Holland warns 8 municipalities: Arrange asylum shelter, or we'll do it for you

The province of Zuid-Holland has given eight municipalities, including The Hague and Leiden, a warning that if they do not house enough refugees with a temporary residence permit, then the province will do it for them and charge them for it. In addition to The Hague and Leiden, municipalities like Leiderdorp, Oegstgeest, Pijnacker-Nootdorp, Teylingen, Voorschoten, and Zoeterwoude were sent a letter with this message.

These eight municipalities are lagging when it comes to housing refugees with temporary residence permits. The government decides every six months how many residency permit holders need to be given shelter. They decide this number based on the number of residents in a municipality.

Provinces are allowed to intervene when municipalities miss their target from the government for the fourth time in a row. Zuid-Holland also gave Barendrecht and Goeree-Overflakkee a last warning like this in the last few years. This led to both municipalities reaching their target.

A spokesperson for the province said that Zuid-Holland has never had to find housing for the permit holders on the municipality costs.

The Hague was around 400 homes behind when it came to their target for housing for residency permit holders on January 1. Leiden still had over 50 people that they had to find accommodation for. Of the 50 municipalities in Zuid-Holland, only four reached their target. Bodegraven-Reeuwijk, Goeree-Overflakkee, Midden-Delfland, and Rotterdam.

The municipalities in Zuid-Holland had to find housing for 5,600 residency permit holders, but they have only been able to do so for almost 3,400 people. The other residency holders are waiting in asylum seeker centers for a home.

Some municipalities give residency permit holders priority when allocating social housing. The Cabinet is trying to ban this. Residency holders are also regularly housed in flexible housing or temporary living spaces in vacant buildings.