This formerly oh so egalitarian country has become heavily polarised and it’s increasing homelessness in the Netherlands at a rapid pace. One or two homeless families in Amsterdam in 2023 asked for help in one month. Now it’s 32 parents and 54 kids.
Bijvoorbeeld: in 2023 klopten maandelijks één of twee dakloze gezinnen bij de gemeente Amsterdam aan. In 2024 waren dat in één maand al 32 ouders met 54 kinderen. (Source: Linda article by Marissa Klaver.)
In 1996, when I returned from the United States after our research funding had collapsed which created an immensely stressful situation for me, getting basic benefits in the Netherlands was a piece of cake. It enabled me to get back on my feet, though it took me 18 months to find a home, in spite of having continued to pay my housing association dues.
It’s different now. Getting basic benefits is a nightmare that takes months. Most people can no longer borrow a friend’s car either, for example, to move some stuff into or out of storage or leave their things in a family member’s garage or basement.
If you’re poor, you are no longer seen as human. People want you to go away. They feel free to abuse you. They feel that you have no rights.
It’s not just polarization that causes this, specifically povertyism. The country has always been overregulated, but is now completely being strangled by a myriad of regulations that cause gridlocks, for example because they can be in contradiction. It’s one big mess of seized-up gears.
It’s no longer the case that if you lose your job, the government will step up and support you if you ask.
It appears that going to court is often the only way to break out of these strangleholds.
There’s one person who is very aware of it all. Her name is Michelle van Tongerloo. She’s a GP. She’s written a book about the patient called the Netherlands and two days ago, Dutch magazine Linda published an article about her and about the book.
Vengeful civil servants are a reality in the Netherlands. They have the power to make or break people and unlike in the past, no longer rigidly apply the rules. They actually actively torment people they are supposed to serve.
This is more or less what John Tasioulas referred to in a recent tweet, I realise now. On 8 December, he wrote ”One of the most poisonous developments in recent years has been the open contempt shown for democratic citizens without higher education” (while commenting on Tuck’s book “Active and Passive Citizens”).
Another problem in the Netherlands is that all sorts of solutions that are open to citizens in countries like the US and the UK if they want to save money or make money aren’t allowed. You can forget about doing anything like “DoorDashing” in the Netherlands. You are also supposed to put as much money as possible into other people’s pockets in all sorts of ways, particularly through renting a home. It’s illegal to sleep in a van or any other vehicle in the Netherlands unless it’s at a campsite. Most campsites are pretty expensive.
https://www.linda.nl/lifestyle/gezondheid/straatarts-michelle-van-tongerloo-boek-dakloos-nederland/
