New place squated on Tweede Kostverlorenkade, Amsterdam
Hier kun je discussieren over New place squated on Tweede Kostverlorenkade, Amsterdam.
We are a group of people from different ages and places, who resort to squatting because we have no other option.
This place is owned by the social housing company Rochdale, that has been leaving it empty since August. Our action is both a political action and a way to find housing. We squat because it is getting almost impossible to get access to affordable housing in Amsterdam. Today, there are 53 000 less social housing apartments than in 2003. That is why our action is also a political statement. We think it is scandalous that apartments stay empty while people have to sleep in the street and we are against the reduction of social housing opportunities.
We are not squatting this place to hinder its use as social housing. We believe everyone should have unconditional access to free housing but we do support social housing as a better alternative to the corrupt, ultra profiteering private property market. We squat this place because we are outraged that social housing is left empty in a time where so many people struggle to find affordable housing in Amsterdam. As long as Rochdale does not prove that they will immediately begin renting this apartment as social housing we will make use of it as housing ourselves.
Some one
Great work!
Just a question but it's probably a longer discussion for another place.
Is social housing the answer when the state and capitalism go hand in hand?
We are basically giving the rich and ruling classes cheap houses to sell and trade in to the market. This has been going on for years now and is not likely to stop anytime soon.
Ehhh... the whole idea of
Ehhh... the whole idea of social housing is that it is not part of the market. The houses should belong to housing associations (woningbouverengingen) which the tenants control partly. So yes, the state will still be a problem, but they should not be sold and traded on the market. Social housing (volkshuisvesting) was ruined by the neoliberals in the nineties. The question is more if it is enough as a strategy to want to go back to the days of the welfare state, but those days were for sure better for poor people than the mess now.
And also: what answer would you propose, if it is not social housing?
Comment was hidden