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Dutch Cities Activate Cold-Weather Shelters as Capacity Strains Fuel Push for a Sharing Law

Political divisions over permanent versus weather-triggered access complicate local responses.

Overview

  • Utrecht opened its cold-weather site at Savannahweg for the first time this season, offering up to 175 beds as officials warn extra emergency cots may be needed pending permit clarity.
  • Amsterdam set 250 winter shelter places for this season, with a contingency to expand to 500 during extreme cold, providing nightly beds, meals and showers.
  • Tilburg, alongside Amsterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, supports a national ‘spreidingswet’ to distribute shelter responsibilities more evenly, while Breda resists and Eindhoven withholds a position citing implementation concerns.
  • Rotterdam’s public debate highlighted a split as church and care leaders argued for permanent winter access, while alderman Ronald Buijt cautioned against a pull effect and pointed to the WKR threshold of a felt temperature at or below 0°C or hazardous conditions.
  • Roosendaal announced a temporary social shelter to open in early 2026 at Kloosterstraat, operating separately from the building’s existing winter facility for homeless labor migrants.