Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema has issued a stark warning to The Hague: the country’s largest cities are nearing breaking point under the twin pressures of rising homelessness and rampant drug use. Speaking alongside fellow municipal leaders, she called for a sweeping national response to problems that local authorities can no longer tackle alone.
At a gathering of mayors from Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, Halsema painted a bleak picture of overstretched shelters, open-air cocaine smoking and a sharp increase in rough sleepers. Municipal data show:
- A 25 percent surge in registered homeless individuals across major cities over the past two years.
- Widespread availability of crack cocaine in inner-city districts, contributing to public order incidents and health emergencies.
- Shelter occupancy rates exceeding 120 percent in winter months, forcing some municipalities to turn people away.
“Our social services are overwhelmed, our emergency rooms are filling up and vital support networks are fraying,” Halsema said. “Left unchecked, these pressures will only deepen inequality, strain public safety and undermine quality of life for all residents.”
To arrest the crisis, she urged the government to deliver a comprehensive plan that includes:
- Dedicated funding for emergency shelters and outreach teams in all major municipalities.
- Expanded low-threshold addiction treatment centres offering medical supervision and harm-reduction services.
- A national homelessness framework to coordinate data sharing, housing allocations and long-term social care.
- Investment in mental health support, job training and reintegration programmes for vulnerable groups.
Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb and The Hague’s Jan van Zanen echoed Halsema’s call, pointing out that crime linked to drug dependency has spilled into residential neighbourhoods. Utrecht mayor Sharon Dijksma added that smaller cities are beginning to feel the overflow, as people displaced from metropolitan centres seek help elsewhere.
The Interior Ministry acknowledged the mounting challenges but stressed that implementation must respect municipal autonomy. A spokesperson said officials are exploring ways to streamline funding channels and share best practices, though specifics have yet to emerge.
Opposition parties have seized on the mayors’ plea, with GroenLinks demanding an immediate emergency relief package and the Labour Party proposing a special parliamentary inquiry. The governing coalition, however, has been cautious, arguing that local solutions should take precedence.
Halsema insists a purely local approach is no longer sufficient. “We need a unified, national strategy,” she said. “Without it, we risk watching our cities—and the people who call them home—fall through the cracks.”