Dear Gemeente Eindhoven and the Design Academy of Eindhoven,

We were asked by members of the Eindhoven city council to write the Manifesto of The Student Housing Crisis. To outline our troubles and the solutions they require. To compile a list of demands we had for the city and the school. But we are unable to do so. Unable to articulate the steps that must be taken to begin addressing the housing crisis. The truth is, we are too tired.

We are tired of living in tents, on floors, in garages and couches. Tired from not having a private room or area to do our work. From moving every few days while trying to keep up with the workload. 

We are tired of seeing “No Internationals” or “No Students” despite hearing “DAE–An International School” and “Eindhoven–A Student City”.

We are tired of temporary options that force us to look for new housing every few months.

We are tired of being told by housing agencies that there are no rooms available. 

We are tired of being told ‘there’s not enough space, despite biking by unused empty buildings everyday. This is not a crisis of space, this is a crisis of laws and policy.

We are tired of the government and our school not listening to our cries for help.

And us “lucky ones” are tired too.

We are tired of paying incredibly large amounts of money for an incredibly tiny house.

We are tired of having to turn our living rooms into safe havens for unhoused classmates.

We are tired of being forced to live illegally in an unregistered room, unable to open Dutch bank accounts or work.

We are tired of our landlords raising rent obscene amounts and then ending the lease when we refuse.

We are tired of having to pay the fare of the long train rides to school from the towns we were forced to move to.

Put simply, we are tired of not having a home in Eindhoven.

Our only demand is affordable and legal housing in the city we were invited to study in. As unhoused students we believe  that our stories can better illuminate the scope and weight of this housing crisis. But we do not believe that it is our job to be the ones to solve it.

We believe that it is your job, as the people that have been elected to run this city, to house the people in it. We believe it is the job of the people that run the schools to ensure that your students have houses to live in. 

Why is this important? Aren't we just students after all? A batch of people to be replaced every few years? What does it mean for Eindhoven, as a city, if a large part of its people are kept in this uncertain state? If the people who come here with hopes and dreams cannot see themselves staying because housing is so difficult? On what creative minds, on what opportunities for cultural and economic growth is Eindhoven missing out on, simply because few can see themselves living here, or building a future here?

If the city treats its people as temporary, then in the long run people will turn away. This loss of future for the upcoming generation of a city, is also a loss of future for the city itself. This is not only about unhoused students. This is about the future of Eindhoven.

The housing crisis is an incredibly complex problem that has a long history in the Netherlands. But the fact that it is complicated is not an excuse to give up on trying to solve it. We will no longer accept a lack of action and communication by the city and the universities. We the students refuse to carry the burden of the Dutch student housing crisis on our shoulders without support. We call on you, the city and the school, to invest your time and resources into urgently addressing the student housing crisis. 

In particular:

• We call on the city to put together a Housing Task Force by the end of 2022.
• We call for the school to hire a part time or full time employee to be in charge of handling housing related matters by fall of 2023.
• We call on the city to invite students to the November housing meeting of Eindhoven universities, big tech companies, and housing agencies and to communicate about its findings as well as all future student housing related meetings.