Prize for the most shameless case of vacancy in The Hague: ‘Homelessness is a housing problem’

Long waiting times

Wijnand has tried everything to find a house: he responds to private homes and normal social housing, but there are waiting times for everything. “The waiting times are at least 5 years and can easily increase to 10 years.” He himself has only just registered, and then you simply do not qualify for a house, he says. “If something unexpected happens to you, you are on hold. All that time there is simply nothing.”

Recent figures show that the group of people in the Netherlands without a home is increasing. And Filbri can confirm this: “We see many more people who are homeless, like Wijnand. All they need is a roof over their heads. The housing crisis has really increased enormously.”

Emergency shelter

Wijnand is currently sleeping in emergency shelter at night, something he has never experienced before. “You’ve had your own house for years, a place where you can live, and now you suddenly have to share everything. And you’re sitting in a room with all kinds of people, all with a different rhythm. One person goes to work at four o’clock in the morning. watching a movie when I just want to sleep.” During the day, Wijnand is looking for work and walks through the streets of The Hague, where he notices that there are a lot of empty buildings. “Then you think, why is this empty? Give me a key and then I can continue.”

Award for the most shameless case of vacancy

In a few weeks they will award a prize to the most shameless case of vacancy in the city. Wijnand himself thinks ‘het Zusterhuis’ is a good candidate; an old, monumental building that could house about 50 rooms. The owners of this building have now responded to the nomination, says Filbri. “They would be ashamed if they won the prize, and would also find it uncomfortable.” That is why they have been invited to talk to each other. “I find that very hopeful, we should not always wait for the government to force the whip on property managers, there are also owners who would like to do it themselves.”

The councilor for Popular Removal of The Hague, Martijn Balster, thinks the call from Straat Consulaat is very justified. He leaves in a comment De Nieuws BV know, among other things, that ‘every home that is empty is one too many’ and says that The Hague wants to come up with a more robust approach.