A second emergency housing for international students at the Peizerweg in Groningen is opened. All of the 120 furnished rooms at the Esdoornflat are full, meaning that another ‘peak shelter’ is needed. At the Peizerweg there is also another big dormitory-like complex, with 80 beds. At this moment twenty of those beds are occupied, with more students arriving each day.
Having provided extra emergency housing the educational institutions, the municipality and housing corporations want to prevent students from sleeping in tents like last year, which was highly publicised and even led to questions being asked about the subject in the Dutch parliament.
Both new locations will remain open until October. Location manager Ronald Helmig emphasised to RTV Noord that the facilities are designed to temporary. “It is ‘peak care’. Students must use this time to find a definitive address, where they can stay more permanently” he says.
The Esdoornslat will be renovated in the coming months, and the location on the Peizerweg will be used again as an exam hall during the first exam period. If there is still a need for extra space before October, the third location on the Metaallaan can also be opened. Last year it provided temporary housing before developments such as the ‘Sugar Homes’ and others became available.
