Parliament adopts housing law that stops refugees' priority for social rentals

The lower house of the Dutch parliament has voted in favor of a bill that will give the Minister of Housing more control over the construction and distribution of homes. Due to a previously adopted amendment proposed by the PVV, the law also bans municipalities from giving priority to refugees in allocating homes. Amsterdam intends to ignore that ban, housing alderman Zita Pels said.

The amendment was the reason for several opposition parties that were originally in favor of the bill to vote against it. With the amendment, “dehumanization has crept into the law,” said GroenLinks-PvdA Habtamu de Hoop. D66 MP Hans Vijlbrief said that the bill had been “mutilated” and was now in violation of the Dutch Constitution’s prohibition of discrimination.

Pieter Grinwis of the ChristenUnie spoke of a “seriously damaged law.” But his party considers it crucial for solving the housing shortage, so it voted in favor “with its nose held,” he said. He expects that the Senate faction of the ChristenUnie will demand amendments.

However, the bill may get majority support in the Senate even without these opposition parties. In addition to the ChristenUnie and the remaining coalition parties VVD, NSC, and BBB, the PVV, CDA, SGP, FvD, and JA21 also voted in favor.

Amsterdam will continue giving priority to refugees in the allocation of housing if necessary, Zita Pels said. According to the Amsterdam alderman, parliament has shown “its ugliest side by choosing to make the lives of people in very vulnerable and hopeless situations even worse.”

“Parliament orchestrates misery and chaos in asylum reception, on our streets, and does nothing about the housing shortage. Shameful,” Pels said. As long as she is alderman, Pels will do everything she can to ensure that refugees can continue to participate in Amsterdam society. “And therefore also to let them live here. With priority if necessary, as I promised by city council.”