MPs have voted in favour of new leglisation aimed at speeding up housing development by giving more control to the goverment, despite the last-minute inclusion of a clause which will stop refugees being given priority for new homes.
The law gives the housing minister the power to designate building locations and set affordability requirements for new homes. But it also means refugees with residence permits cannot be prioritised for social housing, even in emergencies.
Government lawyers earlier said the amendment, proposed by the far-right PVV, may breach anti-discrimination rules.
Local authorities umbrella group VNG, housing corporations and tenants’ rights lobby group Woonbond have also all warned the plan would cause chaos in refugee centres because people with residence permits would remain stuck there for longer.
Some 18,000 people who are currently living in formal refugee accommodation should have moved to regular housing but cannot do so because of the shortage of homes.
They also said the amendment creates unacceptable distinctions between people and was unlikely to stand up in court.
Currently refugees are supposed to be housed in an ordinary home within 10 weeks of receiving a residence permit but that rarely happens. Councils are also been required by law to provide housing for a fixed number of refugees every year but often fail to reach their targets.
But despite what far-right groups claim, refugees do not currently have priority over Dutch nationals when it comes to available homes. And if they are offered a home, they must accept it, even if it does not completely meet their needs.
If they refuse, they can be evicted from the refugee accommodation they are currently living in.
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