thank you & future plans

I copied the following from the Facebook group...

'Hey everyone,Wow!!! I would have never expected that many people showing support and interested in the issue. Thank you guys! Now that we gathered so many people I think it’s time for some organizing / mobilization! I was thinking ‘How can I connect this facebook-group to something in real-life’… well, my idea is to organize some kind of public forum. I’m planning to organize a lecture-hall with enough room at the RUG after the exam-period. My idea is to invite people from the ‘Gemeente Groningen’, the University Housing-Office and of course all of you guys to have a public discussion about that issue. 

That’s going to be a lot of work, so I would appreciate every single person who wants to help organizing this event! If you like to get actively involved feel free to send me a message and I will organize a meeting! Also if you want to help in any other way feel free to make suggestions or write me!

For everyone who still doesn’t know what all of this is about, read my post below! Thanks again guys, you’re amazing! Keep on inviting people to this group :)'

p.s. 1.500 people in a couple of hours... crazy!

about the issue (get your infos here!)

During the last couple of years the City of Groningen introduced the campaign ‘Leven in Stad’ with the goal to improve the relationship between students and ‘stadjers’, meaning townspeople. One part of the campaign is the introduction of the ’15% rule’.
The 15%-rule: During to the huge amount of students living in Groningen, the city has decided to pass a bill that aims to spread the students equally over the city. Specifically, only 15% of all houses per street are allowed to be student-houses (a student house is a house with 3 or more students living in it). In 2009 the city started to give away licenses for these houses. Since it wasn’t legally grounded at that time, a lot of house-owners didn’t get the license. Today all of the licenses are gone; there are no more left leaving hundreds/thousands of houses without a license. To be a legal part of the 15%, you need to have a license. Since the end of last year the city is sending workers to all houses where students are registered via the city that don’t have a license. Until this summer the city is going to shut down all (!) of these houses without a license, meaning thousands of students get kicked out of their homes. Now you must think ‘I’m sure the city is offering alternative housing’ … wrong! The city is working on a ‘solution’ to that problem. If you got time read through this document:
http://gemeente.groningen.nl/wonen-en-leven-pagina/wonen/Campagne%20Leven%20in%20Stad/beleid-studentenhuisvesting/documenten/onderzoek-studentenhuisvesting-2011
The rule applies to everyone OUTSIDE of the inner gracht!
If you don’t, let me tell you in short: The solution is building 4500 houses that are needed to accommodate all students. Problem: These houses won’t be finished until 2015. Until then no alternative housing will be provided.Furthermore the city is not coming up with any money as a compensation for moving costs, makelaar costs, etc. 
I just spent 15 minutes on the phone talking to Mr. de Vries, who is part of the head of the ‘Leven in Stad’-campaign. He confirmed all of the points mentioned above. As an excuse he said that the city is building the houses until 2015. Until then in his point of view the house-owners are to blame. Answering my question if the landlords have been informed in the past that they have to get a certificate to continue offering student-housing he said that it’s the landlord’s job to stay informed. Ignorance is no excuse. I told him that even if the landlords didn’t get the certificate in the end who’s to blame is still the city, since they came up with the campaign. And more important: they started the campaign without having a solution in the first place.So again, after the action is done until summer, there will be not enough houses available for all of the students who will get kicked out. Meaning, there will be homeless students, a lot of them. Mr de Vries confirmed that and said it’s a big problem, but it’s not his fault. He’s just doing the work that he is getting told to do. He said the conversation I’m looking for is a political one. He advised me to seek a dialogue with the mayor. So: covered behind a campaign with smiling people on hundreds of posters throughout Groningen, the city is hiding a campaign of pure discrimination. Groningen is boasting itself being the ‘youngest city in the Netherlands’. But obviously the city doesn’t want us students here or at least a lot less of us. Therefore I started this group to mobilize people, making as many aware of the 15% rule as possible. We are a major part of this city and pushing us out is the total opposite of improving the relationship between townspeople and students. In our case: we have a really good relationship with our neighbors. They really like us, so kicking us out of the house will have a negative effect in the end.
In our street at least 10 houses will be shut down until August. Imagine the whole city being affected soon and the fight that will start about people looking desperately for a new, legal place to live.If you wonder about the legal background: The contracts that we have with our landlords are invalid, since they run as contracts for student-housing. This way there’s a loophole for landlords to legally kick people out. If there is a way to fight that procedure, I don’t know yet. I already contacted the huurcommissie, expecting them to give me legal advice later this afternoon. 
So everyone, please get active and help fighting this injustice. Please contact the huurcommissie via phone (050) 318 78 98 if you are affected as well. If you want to know if you’re affected call your landlord (not the makelaar) and insist of a copy of the student house license if there is one.
Please invite as many students from Groningen as possible to this group to help to spread the word!Thank you all!