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Seven organisations: Amnesty International Luxembourg; CLAE; the Advisory Commission on Human Rights (CCDH); the Justice and Peace Commission; Open Home (Oppent Haus); Solidaritéit mat den Heescherten; and VOCO, together with almost 60 individuals, have signed an open letter calling on the Luxembourg Government to officially declare a housing crisis and introduce emergency measures.
In the letter, the signatories argue that the shortage of affordable housing affects broad sections of the population. They call for an emergency plan, the creation of a task force and the immediate construction of temporary modular housing for refugees.
The letter stated as follows:
“There is broad consensus that the Grand Duchy is facing a serious shortage of affordable housing. There is little point in dwelling on the origins of this situation or on the omissions of recent years; what matters now is to act. This crisis affects wide sections of the population and represents a major driver of growing poverty.
While in the following lines we focus on refugee accommodation structures, we stress that housing needs extend far beyond this area. International treaties and conventions oblige Luxembourg to provide accommodation for those who apply for international protection.
From a wealthy country, one would expect this to be done in dignified conditions.
Many of these applicants will remain in the Grand Duchy and will seek to build their lives within our society. It is above all the children who suffer from conditions that are not conducive to their development and schooling.
Your government appears to recognise the scale of the problem, as your 2023 programme states on page 186: “[The government] will request that the Administration of Public Buildings establish a multi-annual plan to construct new facilities for the ONA accommodation network and to assess renovation needs for existing structures.”
The vision of “[distributing] applicants for international protection equitably across the country. All municipalities must participate and show solidarity in the effort to create accommodation structures for applicants for international protection” is more than commendable, small structures facilitating the integration of those concerned into the municipality and into society.
In light of the limited response from municipalities, it falls to the government to take action.
We therefore respectfully call for:
• the official declaration of a housing crisis;
• the introduction of an emergency plan for affordable housing;
• the creation of a task force bringing together social partners, Syvicol and key stakeholders in affordable housing.
Furthermore, we call for the immediate construction of temporary accommodation structures for refugees, modular buildings, on land owned by the State and by the Kirchberg Fund.
Addressing the housing crisis is, quite simply, a matter of social cohesion.”
