View all articles
A Dutch landlord is taking his social responsibilities very seriously, by offering his tenants a 100 Euro discount if they help new refugee arrivals integrate into Dutch society.
******Whoops! Looks like this is an old post that isn’t relevant any more :/ ******
******Visit the blog home page for the most up to date news. ******
Helping New Arrivals
The Trudo housing association in Eindhoven is giving tenants the discount on condition they devote around 10 hours a week to helping new arrivals.
“We expect them to do two things,” said the managing director, Thom Aussems. “First, they should help them settle into their new home, get to know their neighbours, and learn things like when to take the bins out.
“Secondly, they can act as a kind of liaison officer when they’re dealing with institutions in areas like learning the language, education, work and social security, so they can highlight any problems quickly.”
Social landlords in the Netherlands account for 30% of all Dutch housing and they are obliged to accommodate refugees. The new integration initiative is designed to help refugees adjust to life in The Netherlands.
A Valuable Saving
The Trudo housing association is in one of the most deprived parts of Eindhoven where the average monthly rent is 435 Euros. A 100 Euro discount is a lot for the tenants living on low incomes, so it is hoped that plenty of them take up the offer.
The idea for the scheme came from a similar one run several years ago, where tenants were given a discount in return for helping kids with their homework. That scheme was very successful.
