Youth organizations: “Strange that the municipality will pay even less attention to student housing”
Amsterdam’s new housing market policy puts students and young people at a disadvantage, according to the Amsterdam Student Union (Asva) along with several other organizations. “Waiting times for housing are on average three years or more – longer than an average undergraduate degree.”
The housing shortage in Amsterdam is nothing new. But as of this year, students are finding it even more glaring than in other years. They are barely mentioned in the building and housing plans of the city of Amsterdam. That is why the Asva, together with several youth and student organizations such as the Amsterdam Chamber of Associations, FNV Young & United and Dwars, have drafted a response speaking out against the new Amsterdam Approach to Public Housing (AAV).
They feel that young people and students feature too little in the plans and call on the college to pay more attention to this group. They also make suggestions in their response to combat the housing shortage among young people and students.
Bor, why did you think it was important to write a response to the Amsterdam Approach to Public Housing?
“The AAV is a document that the municipality issues every four years. In it, they explain their housing plans, and how they are going to distribute the insufficient number of houses in Amsterdam. We noticed that students and young people hardly appear in these plans. They are mentioned several times, but there is not really anything about how their position in the housing market can be improved. During this period, interested parties will have time to respond to the municipality’s AAV. We are doing that through this response. On top of that, the municipality did not renew the student housing covenant in November, which we were very disappointed about.
What is that, the student housing covenant?
“It was a four-year covenant to improve the position of students in the Amsterdam housing market. It included educational institutions and interest groups for students like us. To make up for the termination, we were told at the time that there would be room for students and young people in the new AAV, but we do not see enough evidence of that.”
Why is it important to specifically mention students and youth in the new plan?
“The number of students who live in a city and how they live is related to how many students the major educational institutions in Amsterdam (UvA, VU, and HvA) admit. These institutions combined have almost 100,000 students, making Amsterdam a true student city. The city must also take care of these people and involve these institutions in its housing policy. Otherwise, in the summer you will once again have the situation that students are forced to sleep outside.”
“Besides, students are often poorly represented in residents’ organizations and landlord interest groups because they live somewhere temporarily or are busy studying. That means that as a municipality you have to make an extra effort to include their voices despite this.”
Remind me again – how difficult is it to find a room in Amsterdam as a student?
“In no city is it as difficult to find a room as in Amsterdam. The waiting times for student housing are on average three years or more – longer than an average bachelor’s degree. If you’re actively looking through, say, a site like Kamernet, you’re in for at least six months. And prices have gone through the roof – €100 euros per square meter is not unusual. It is therefore strange that the municipality is going to pay even less attention to student housing when the situation is already so dire.”
Does the municipality’s new plan say anything about international students?
“The municipality is clear about that. They are no longer actively committed to housing for international students and other expats. We find that ridiculous. Those people already live here. It is often a vulnerable group that has few connections in Amsterdam. You can’t just turn your back on them.”
What would your coalition most like to see the municipality do to improve the student housing situation?
“A few months ago, the national student housing action plan was created by the cabinet, municipalities, and educational institutions, among others. It contains concrete suggestions on how to improve the housing situation for students. The municipality also signed that action plan, promising to implement it at the local level. But there is no mention of that in the AAV.”
“As part of our response, we also propose making it easier for people to accommodate a student. In Amsterdam, this is currently very complicated. Also, many empty offices in Amsterdam could be converted into student housing. I would also add that some students live in unsafe situations. The municipality could impose additional requirements on temporary complexes, for example, so that they become more fire-safe. Just a few months ago the youth and student complex Riekerhaven partly burned down.”
