Today on Monday the 29th of May, we announce that we have squatted this apartment on Tweede Kostverlorenkade in 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 squats in the Netherlands: https://radar.squat.net/en/groups/country/NL/squated/squat
Groups (social centers, collectives, squats) in the Netherlands: https://radar.squat.net/en/groups/country/NL
Events in the Netherlands: https://radar.squat.net/en/events/country/NL
Indymedia https://indymedia.nl/node/53444
