Municipality of Amsterdam, District of Zuidoost
Amstel 1
Amsterdam
6 May 2026
Urgent appeal: Stop homelessness among mothers and children – immediate action required
Dear members of the Municipal Council and the Zuidoost District Committee,
We are sounding the alarm.
In Amsterdam Zuidoost, we are seeing a growing group of homeless mothers with children who are literally living on the streets. They sleep between cars, in garage boxes and on galleries. These include single Surinamese mothers — with legal residence status — and children with Dutch nationality. In addition, there are undocumented mothers who fall completely outside the system.
The reality is distressing: children who have the right to protection are not receiving it.
When we report these situations, we hear from agencies such as the GGD: “We receive calls about similar cases every day.” Yet this rarely leads to structural solutions. The recent AT5 reporting on the signals raised by Stichting Different Colors shows how serious the situation is. Our organisations in Amsterdam Zuidoost are aware of at least 25 families.
This is a structural failure of the system
Many of these mothers are denied access to shelter because they lack “regional connection”. In Amsterdam, people must have lived in the city for four years before they can even claim access to support services. For women who have been in the Netherlands for a shorter period, this is an insurmountable barrier.
But what is the alternative? That mothers and children live on the streets for four years?
In addition, women are confronted with an unacceptable practice: they are told to turn to Veilig Thuis, where children may be taken in, but mothers are not. This places families under severe pressure and creates fear of support services and institutions.
Research by Investico confirms that municipalities sometimes threaten mothers with the removal of their children when they ask for shelter. Experts state that this is in conflict with fundamental human rights and the best interests of the child.
This is unacceptable
Children do not belong on the streets. Mothers and children should not be separated because of homelessness. Forced homelessness is not a form of child abuse by a parent — it is a failure of society.
Grassroots organisations, with minimal resources, are filling the gaps left by the government. We provide emergency support, ask for money, arrange shelter through our solidarity networks, find rooms, provide food and diapers, and pay for hotels. Where the government falls short, we are structurally relied upon. We are even contacted by municipal partners to find solutions for families. The pressure on these organisations is high. Even as support workers, they cannot get through the system. This policy of exclusion does not align with what you should stand for as a care or support professional.
We, the undersigned, want to be involved in this urgent matter. More than that, we demand immediate action:
● Direct access to shelter for homeless families, regardless of regional connection or status, with appropriate support
● Stop threatening to separate mothers and children because of homelessness. End the use of threats involving reports to Veilig Thuis as a means of pressure
● Structural solutions instead of ad hoc actions or consultations
● Organise, in the short term, a constructive action-oriented meeting with the organisations involved — especially the unofficial municipal partners — in order to arrive at implementable solutions
The GGD plays a key role in this, but the responsibility lies with all of us. And we take that responsibility on every day.
We cannot and must not accept that children in our city, in the Netherlands, are sleeping on the streets. This must stop.
We would like to meet with you on this matter in the short term and expect concrete steps.
Stichting Different Colors
Stichting Mina Mersha
Stichting Right to Create
Roots for Rights
S H E – Stichting Human Empowerment
Unfolding Love & Care
Contact person
Anja Matyjaszczuk, Stichting Different Colors