Flemish Minister of Housing Matthias Diependaele (N-VA) condemns the practices of clandestine brokers for refugees. But what can the policy do? ‘We are investing more than ever in social housing.’
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‘Let me be clear: such practices are unacceptable. This is pure abuse of people in a vulnerable situation for personal gain. This is a form of exploitation that should be prosecuted. Not only do I say that as a minister, but that is also my personal point of view. ‘
• Also read: Research | Undercover in the refugee rental market (DS 5/12/2020)
The Flemish Minister of Housing, Matthias Diependaele, responds sharply an investigation of The standard, which shows that refugees often have to pay hundreds of euros to middlemen from their own community to find a studio because they have no chance on the official rental market.
‘The phenomenon is not new, but I am surprised that they would have no other choice,’ says Diependaele. ‘There are many alternatives. In every city and municipality there are OCMWs, CAWs and buddy projects that help refugees find a home. But it is true that the rental market in Flanders is tight and that these initiatives are also confronted with that shortage. ‘
‘We are investing in more social housing to relieve the pressure on the rental market. This term of office involves a record EUR 4.5 billion in new construction and renovation of social housing. But that takes time. ‘
‘At the same time, we also want to make the private rental market more accessible with measures such as the installation premium, rent subsidy and rental guarantee loan, and we want to tackle the slum dairy and guarantee the quality of homes by promoting the mandatory conformity certificate in municipalities.’
Local bonding
‘We have a duty to help everyone in need of housing, including Flemings who are on the dork and who want to live in their own region,’ says Diependaele. ‘That is why I fully support the principle that local ties are important to be able to acquire social housing. We will certainly continue to be aware of people in a precarious situation. But the conclusion is that we cannot offer everyone a home and that we cannot keep up with the influx.
State Secretary for Asylum and Migration, Sammy Mahdi (CD&V), wants structural consultation between the federal government and states to tackle all kinds of problems for refugees together. In his policy statement, he argues for an inter-ministerial conference on Migration and Integration.
‘I would like to sit around the table, but consultation doesn’t solve everything,’ says Diependaele. ‘The Flemish government is pulling out all the stops to build more homes, but the federal migration policy must also take into account that we have no space for all those people. This is only possible by limiting the influx. ‘
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