Dutch cities rebel against housing law to support asylum seekers
Three major Dutch municipalities – Amsterdam, Arnhem, and Haarlem – announced that they will continue to prioritize asylum seekers with residence permits in social housing, even though the new law prohibits this. This decision came after a survey conducted by Pointer revealed the division among local governments regarding this controversial step.
The law, which is part of the housing law reform approved by the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) in July and is now under review by the Senate (Eerste Kamer), prohibits municipalities from granting this priority. However, cities are still legally required to house a specific number of asylum seekers with permits, with these quotas updated every six months. For example, the city of The Hague must provide housing for just over 400 people, while Veenendaal must house 20 people.
In Haarlem, city council member Floor Roduner described the law as impractical. She said, "As long as these obligations are in place, the only way to comply is to allocate social housing to asylum seekers with residence permits." For its part, the authorities in Arnhem confirmed the same position, emphasizing that providing immediate housing is essential for integration and to prevent people from staying in asylum centers for long periods.
Other cities have also expressed their strong opposition. A member of the municipal council in Tilburg, Yusuf Celik, described the law as "extremely unwise, counterproductive, and costly." The authorities in Utrecht stated that the law represents a "moral low point," although they acknowledged the need to comply with it legally. Groningen warned that canceling the priority would weaken housing distribution and integration efforts.
Among the municipalities, only Leiden and Enschede confirmed that they will implement the law. The authorities in Leiden pointed out the difficulty of meeting long-term housing needs, explaining that asylum seekers with residence permits are required to stay for at least eight years to meet the demand.