Building temporary housing units, living in with the elderly, and ensuring that graduates leave their rooms earlier. These are some of the measures that should be taken to tackle the massive shortage of student housing in Eindhoven.
The Municipality is coming up with an action plan, in consultation with housing provider Vestide, student organisations, and educational institutions. In the coming year, the city will have a shortage of 1.200 student rooms.
“There are going to be 6.000 extra students for the next academic year. From MBO and HBO to university level,” says Eindhoven City Councillor, Yasin Torunoglu. “Many of them will also be looking for a room. The pressure on the housing market is already high, with the arrival of more and more expats and migrant workers.
Multi-faceted approach
The announced plan has many sides to it. Because the need is high, this plan must bear fruit before the start of the new academic year in September. In the first place, Vestide and the Municipality expect the best results from by building temporary housing units. The grounds of the former asylum seekers’ centre on Castiliëlaan and a vacant lot near the Beerenkuil have been allocated for these units.
Then, the corporations will look at whether there are single people who would want to share their house with a student. The through-flow of students also needs to be speeded up. For example, international students who have completed their studies and are still living on the TU campus should vacate their rooms sooner.
According to Vestide, that can be arranged fairly easily. Eindhoven Municipality is also going to appeal to neighbouring municipalities and Helmond, to see if extra accommodation can be created for students there. “For example, students could also live in Brandenvoort in Helmond. With a train station nearby, they would be on the TU campus just as soon as if they had to cycle from Woensel North,” explains Torunoglu.
In the past year, 1.500 additional homes for students were constructed. Last year international students demonstrated for more and affordable living space in the city.
Source: www.studio040.nl
Translated by: Chaitali Sengupta
Edited by: Melinda Walraven
