As of Tuesday, The Village emergency accommodation at Peizerweg still had thirty-one beds available. ‘We have now had the first peak’, says municipal spokesperson Manon Hoiting.
The Martinihouse – which is fully booked – and The Village currently house 174 students in total.
As the first tenants start leaving their temporary homes, freeing up space for the next ones, Hoiting still encourages students to continue to actively search for a permanent room. With the official start of the academic year on September 6, less than two weeks away, the municipality expects another peak in demand.
Meanwhile, the various parties united in the group Shelter Our Students (SOS) remain on the alert for homeless students. Their couchsurfing initiative has already drawn the attention of ninety students looking for a couch to sleep on. So far they have received thirty offers from people who have a spare couch.
Even though the demand for couches seems to exceed the actual offer, it’s ‘very much possible’ that the registered students applied for several temporary housing options, says SOS spokesperson Marinus Jongman. The organisation will only actively pair people up if the official emergency housing is full. ‘But it is definitely an indication that there’s a housing shortage again’, Jongman adds.