![\"\"](\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2021\/09\/image1-300x169.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nBy: Max Morgan<\/p>\n
The housing crisis in the Netherlands has been a national concern for years, with a rising
\npopulation and demand – the outcry for action has been catastrophic. The widespread issue has
\nbeen breaking headlines and sparked activists into life as increasing pressure has been placed onto
\nthe Government to listen to the voices of thousands. The wave of outrage has gathered
\nmomentum and has resulted into historic protests taking place in the Dutch capital, as mass
\ncrowds flood the streets, demanding a change. With the protests on September 12th now a thing
\nof past, the issue of housing remains, and the questions to the government are still present.<\/p>\n
With a there being housing issues in the past, the protests of 2021 are incomparable. As mentioned
\nabove, the issue is affecting a much more diverse demographic. From ethnic minorities to both
\nDutch and international students right up to the middle class, the prices of accommodation have
\nexploded over the past 12 months by over 20%. Affecting so many citizens has blossomed into unity
\nacross the Netherlands during these protests, speaking to a spokesperson at the protests and leader
\nof Haagse Staadpartij, Fatima Fa\u00efd, had much to say on the matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe protests are very important, it was a complete wakeup call as no one was expecting
\nthe numbers that we had, people came from all corners of the country to Amsterdam to
\nprotest. It’s shaken up the whole political system. I was only expecting to talk to 300
\npeople and over 20,000 showed up. It\u2019ll go down as an iconic moment in my life, I wanted
\nto speak to the common people. To be a part of a such a young diverse representation
\nof activists shows a new generation people wanting to make a change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Fa\u00efd then went onto say;
\n\u201cThe revolution never starts in parliament; the revolution always starts on the streets. The
\nonly way the people can get something onto the political agenda is to show the impact and
\nscale of the problem. The government must prioritise this issue. And everyone needs to work
\ntogether, the politicians must talk in the parliament, the squatters must squat, the activists
\nmust try to get people on the streets and all together we make the pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n
Fa\u00efd was very clear in saying that the power to make the change lies within the public. Comparing
\nthe recent housing protest with the Black Lives Matter movement, she is all about giving the young
\ngeneration the platform to share their voice. Stating in her speech that one protest will not be
\nenough, further events are scheduled in Rotterdam on October 17th and Den Haag 16th November.
\nWith activists showing no sign in slowing down, it’s only a matter of time till the Government
\nresponds.<\/p>\n
Previously mentioning the diverse demographic affected by the crisis, students are among those
\ndealing with this problem. Struggling to balance a social life, work and school is a headache for most
\nyoung adults, however, to worry about a place to live is something many have been dealing with for
\nmonths. With many basic apartments exceeding a student\u2019s budget has left many homeless, feeling
\nvulnerable and desperate.<\/p>\n
Speaking to International students about their housing situation, many said that after searching for
\nmonths both in their homeland and in the Netherlands,<\/p>\n
\u2018It has been near impossible. Not only to find a place within my budget, but also a house
\nthat\u2019ll accept Internationals. I\u2019ve spent almost 200e worth of subscription fees (websites)
\nwith very little success. My family wanted me to return home but I have to study my masters.
\nI\u2019m a guy with two suitcases, what can I do? \u2018- Antonis, Greece<\/p>\n
These feeling can also be shared by Antonia, Romanian, who was searching for accommodation for
\nmonths but has since settled down with a Turkish family on the outskirts of Utrecht, encountering
\nmultiple scammers along the way. After staying in a hostel, she is thankful that her landlord has
\nopened their home to her but yearns to live the \u2018student life\u2019 within the city itself and hopes to build
\npositive experiences with her peers.<\/p>\n
Giving a voice to both Dutch and Intenational students, is chairman of the \u2018Young Socialist\u2019 Andrej
\nvan Hout, a member of the political youth party aligned with the Partij van de Arbeid (PvdA). Van
\nHout was very vocal with his views and expresses how he is wanting to develop a fairer economy
\nand society for all people in the Netherlands. Asking him about the student housing situation he
\nstated:<\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2021\/09\/image2-300x169.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation is terrible, it\u2019s a human right according to the Dutch constitution for the
\ngovernment provide housing \u2013 not only for Dutch citizens but also Internationals. There
\nneeds to be a switch in mentality towards international students, creating space for
\nintegrating them into Dutch culture. I also believe that there is a frustration towards
\ninternationals with the language barrier, there needs to be more openness towards letting
\ninternationals into our homes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Further discussing the future protests, he shared the similar views a Ms Fa\u00efd. Both will be present at\u00a0the Rotterdam protests and encourages others to join too. To learn more information about future\u00a0protests and to stay informed, click on the link below for the Rotterdam event.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.woonopstand.nl\/en\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By: Max Morgan The housing crisis in the Netherlands has been a national concern for years, with a rising population and demand – the outcry for action has been catastrophic. The widespread issue has been breaking headlines and sparked activists into life as increasing pressure has been placed onto the Government to listen to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":701,"featured_media":2866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cbj","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n