Housing First as a System Approach: What Does This Require from the Netherlands?

According to conservative figures, almost 40 000 people in the Netherlands are
homeless. In december 2022, the Dutch Government launched a new National
Actionplan on Homelessness based on Housing First principles 1. Housing First is an evidence-based approach to successfully support people experiencing homelessness by providing stable and independent housing and intensive personalised case management. The innovative policy taken by the Government focuses on citizens who are experiencing homelessness, or who are at risk of this due to eviction or leaving institutions and is a response to the sharp increase in homelessness in the past 10 years. The current policy programme is based on the success of local Housing First programmes, which until now have not had the national attention from the Government they required. There are currently 47 Housing First practices in 93 municipalities. This represents a cautious starting point for national coverage, which is critical for the national roll out of the programme. People experiencing homelessness in the Netherlands currently have an estimated 10% chance of access to Housing First. The current system is relatively expensive and ineffective (Boesveldt, 2015; van Everdingen et al., 2021) and lacks a coordinated government-led approach. Much of the help provided for people experiencing homelessness concerns temporary options, with no prospect of a sustainable solution. Based on the eight core principles of Housing First, this paper describes the status quo and the necessary development for a successful system approach to Housing First in the Netherlands.