The Municipality of Leudal responds to a letter from the province regarding housing for status holders

The province of Limburg has informed the municipality of Leudal that it may intervene in the process of providing housing for recognized refugees. This is because Leudal is currently falling behind on its legal obligation to provide housing for this group of people.

Status holders are people who have been granted a residence permit and must move from a reception center to a home in a municipality. Each municipality is assigned a target for this: a set number of people who must be housed within a certain period. According to the province, Leudal has not yet fully met that target. Therefore, the province is considering a more stringent measure: taking over responsibilities. This means that the province can assume the municipality’s responsibilities if the situation does not improve.

Deadline and assignment from the province

The municipality has until July 1, 2026, to:

• to meet the target for the first half of 2026 (30 people);
• to reduce the current backlog;
• and to develop a concrete improvement plan to address the remaining backlog.

Leudal is taking responsibility, but sees some challenges

The Leudal Municipal Executive states that it takes its responsibility for housing status holders seriously. Part of the housing quota has been met in the first half of 2026. At the same time, the council emphasizes that there are clear reasons why it is currently difficult to fully meet the target. For example, a relatively large number of large families—consisting of six or more people—are assigned to Leudal. There are few suitable homes available for these families. Additionally, fewer rental properties have become available over the past year. As a result, it takes longer to properly house people.

A major contributor to childcare for many years

The municipality also believes it is important to put the situation into the proper context.
It emphasizes that Leudal has been making a significant contribution to the reception of asylum seekers for more than 20 years. An asylum seekers’ center (AZC) is located in Baexem, where many people are accommodated. Even under the current Distribution Act, Leudal accommodates more asylum seekers than is required of the municipality. This commitment must be taken into account when assessing the quota for status holders.

According to the council, solidarity among municipalities is a key principle of this law. For this reason, Leudal does not believe it is appropriate for the municipality to be placed higher on the intervention ladder at this time.

Continue working on solutions

In the coming period, the municipality will continue to engage in dialogue with the province to jointly develop practical solutions. The goal remains to ensure the successful integration of status holders while taking into account local capabilities and constraints.