Churches launch action to provide temporary shelter for residence permit holders
Nineteen church organisations are asking councils and local churches to make vacant spaces available.
Follow-up to: Churches call for space to provide temporary accommodation for permit holders Tuesday, 20 October 2026, 12:43
Listen to this article
There is no audio version yet. Request one and an AI voice will read the article aloud.
Read by an AI voice.
The Council of Churches and other church organisations launched Shelter Action on Tuesday. They are asking local churches to provide temporary shelter for residence permit holders. According to the organisers, this should free up space in asylum reception centres.
The action is aimed at people who already have a residence permit but are still waiting for housing in a municipality. As a result, they remain in asylum reception centres for longer. The church organisations say this hampers the flow-through and increases pressure on reception facilities.
The appeal has been signed by nineteen church organisations. They are asking local councils and churches to look at church buildings, vicarages and other vacant properties that could be made temporarily suitable.
Implementation does not rest solely with the churches. According to the organisers, councils, housing associations and civil-society organisations must also make agreements on support, safety, funding and the length of stay. According to the Protestant Church, Stichting INLIA is supporting the logistical and legal organisation.
The action follows earlier local initiatives in which churches made temporary accommodation or living space available. The new step seeks to bring such initiatives together nationwide. The organisations do not give a total number of places that will become available immediately.
The appeal does not solve the shortage of permanent homes. It is also still uncertain how many churches can actually offer space and how quickly councils can arrange permits, support and housing. Temporary accommodation may nevertheless help people with a residence permit move on from asylum reception, creating space there for new asylum seekers.
Also show where in Europe and in the world
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Nineteen church organisations are calling on churches to make temporary space available for residence permit holders.
- Residence permit holders have a residence permit but often still await housing in a municipality.
- The action has not yet produced an established number of additional homes.
- Councils and other organisations remain necessary for support, funding and permanent housing.
Left
Arguments The left will emphasise that people with a residence permit should not remain in emergency accommodation for extended periods and that churches and councils must take responsibility for humane accommodation and housing.
Values Solidarity, equal treatment, human dignity and public responsibility are central.
Consequences The risk highlighted is that temporary emergency solutions will displace structural investment in social housing and municipal housing.
Centre
Arguments The institutional approach sees the action as a practical supplement that will work only with clear agreements on safety, support, funding and transition to permanent homes.
Values Practical feasibility, legal certainty, the division of responsibilities and continuity.
Consequences The benefit is additional temporary capacity; the risk is fragmentation if councils and churches do not make uniform agreements.
Right
Arguments The right will emphasise that the government must first gain control over arrivals, procedures and housing allocation, and that voluntary church assistance must not become a substitute for firm and predictable migration policy.
Values National coordination, affordability, equal treatment of house-seekers and enforcement of rules.
Consequences The feared consequence is that temporary accommodation will merely mask pressure on the housing market and the problems surrounding arrivals.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The new nationwide action has been confirmed by the Council of Churches and the Protestant Church, with additional local reporting. The expected effect is presented as a possibility, not as a result.
- confirmed The Council of Churches and other organisations launched Shelter Action on 20 October. — The Council of Churches and the Protestant Church published this on 20 October. source
- confirmed The action focuses on temporary accommodation for residence permit holders. — This is stated in announcements by the participating church organisations. source
- confirmed INLIA supports logistical, organisational and legal aspects. — The Protestant Church explicitly mentions this role. source
Editor's note
The action, the participating church organisations and INLIA’s role have been confirmed. The number of available places and the practical impact remain unknown.Sources
- Actie Onderdak: kerken vangen tijdelijk vluchtelingen op — Raad van Kerken in Nederland
- Kerken starten Actie Onderdak: tijdelijk een thuis voor statushouders — Protestantse Kerk in Nederland
- Kerken in actie voor statushouders Ter Apel — Westerwolde Actueel
The story so far
- Tuesday, 20 October 2026, 12:43 Churches call for space to provide temporary accommodation for permit holders
- Tuesday, 20 October 2026, 17:10 Churches launch action to provide temporary shelter for residence permit holders (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „statushouders asielopvang”
- Trouw — „statushouders asielopvang”
- NRC — „statushouders asielopvang”