“This isn't normal?!”

This campaign was developed by young people who know what it is like to be homeless. “It is deeply sad to see how young people are structurally forgotten,” says Rohan, from Straat Consulaat’s Young Supporters. “They receive less income because it is assumed that their parents will help out. They fall outside of all regulations because they are only aimed at students. And if they do not have a safety net, there is no one to take them in.” According to the young people, the statement made by Minister Hugo de Jonge last year, who suggested that a young woman should just ‘find a rich partner’ to get a home, perfectly illustrates how this problem is viewed. “We are now using that statement as a hook for our campaign, but the real problem lies much deeper: the number of homeless young people continues to rise because there is simply no attention for their situation.”

Confrontational quiz

Through an interactive quiz, the Dutch are confronted with the harsh reality of homelessness. “We ask people: do you think this is normal? Because it is not normal that young people lack more than €650 per month to survive. It is not normal that we sometimes have to stay in shelters for two years. And it is certainly not normal that hardly anything is invested in preventing homelessness,” says Pleun Usman, youth homelessness advocate at Straat Consulaat. 

Extra motivation to search for the Boomerang cards: five 'Golden Tickets' are hidden between the Boomerang cards. The finders win access to an exclusive book review by Tim S. Jongers (the author of the acclaimed book: "Poverty explained to people with money") at Straat Conslaat in the spring of 2024.

Concrete solutions needed

The right to housing is in our constitution, but what use is it to young people if they are on the streets?” Pleun continues. “We demand concrete action: focus on early detection via schools, ensure sufficient suitable affordable housing, and strengthen the financial position of young people. Because without a home, there is no future. The consequences of homelessness are terrible for young people: their health deteriorates, their mental well-being suffers and dreams for the future evaporate.

National action with local impact

From December 11, there will be provocative Boomerang cards in the hospitality industry throughout the Netherlands. With the text 'Looking for a home? Find your rich lover here' they make the absurdity of the situation visible. People are led to the confronting quiz via QR codes.

“We see that organisations throughout the Netherlands recognise the urgency to tackle homelessness,” says Jan de Vries, co-director of Straat Consulaat. “With our toolkit, they can use the campaign locally. Unfortunately, we see that tackling homelessness in local and national politics receives far too little attention. Concrete actions are lacking due to a lack of political urgency and courage. With this campaign, we want to contribute to tackling youth homelessness, and homelessness in general, receiving the attention it deserves.”

About the campaign

'This isn't normal?!' is an initiative of the Achterban Jongeren of Street Consulate and is supported by the partnerships Homelessness Beyond! and SamenThuis2030. The campaign runs from 10 to 17 December.