The immediate cause for the initiative was the townhall meeting in September 2021 by the then city council member Alexander Lurvink. During this online meeting, the most “horrifying stories” were heard, says Ivaskis, now a master’s student of European Law. “Some students were even asked for sexual favours in exchange for a room. Imagine you have just turned eighteen, left your parents’ home, don’t know the country or the culture, and are confronted with that kind of situation.”
Leppert, a graduate from UCM, and Takacs, now a master’s student of Sustainable Finance and Strategy & Innovation felt that something had to be done. Both had been university council members that past year and already started to text each other during the digital meeting. Leppert: “It felt like it was our responsibility as active student representatives.”
Not reinvent the wheel
All three thought that couch surfing would offer a fast, temporary solution. They contacted SOSGroningen, which had been founded shortly before. So, we didn’t need to reinvent the wheel, but that didn’t mean that there was nothing to be done, the three laugh one year later. Until the end of November, they worked at least three hours a day on it. “And often even six hours.” They built a website where students and hosts could fill in a Google form: for example, what kind of space is available? And for how long?
On the basis of that form, the three and a number of volunteers would make a match. Contact information was exchanged and from then on, the host/hostess and the student could arrange things further themselves. A total of 24 ‘sofas’ were made available last year, to which 82 students responded. Ultimately 25 matches were created.
Hosts themselves
As a kind of “security check” only people with a UM or Hogeschool Zuyd e-mail address could register as a host, says Leppert. Among the hosts were Takacs and his roommate. An exchange student slept on an airbed in their living room for two weeks. “Of course, you have to give up some of your privacy, but it was a pleasure to be able to help someone. Until then, he had slept in expensive Airbnbs. Those two weeks were enough for him to be able to find something permanent.”
Leppert, Takacs and Ivaskis continued to talk with the university and the city of Maastricht to try and come up with solutions for the rooms shortage crisis. Various ideas were discussed and although most of them foundered, it was good that the subject was being discussed, says Takacs. One of the ideas that did make it: the no less than 600 container units in Randwyck.
“Universities’ growth-oriented nature”
SOSMaastricht has meanwhile then been taken over by Maastricht Housing and renamed Couchsurfing Maastricht. The three are happy that their project is being continued, but would prefer to see structural solutions. The towns of Sittard and Heerlen might take some of the pressure off, if better public transport connections were to be put in place, says Leppert. Takacs: “As well as public transport compensation for foreign students. If they find a cheap room outside Maastricht, but then have to pay eight euro every day for the train, that is not very practical.” In addition, the government should do something about the “universities’ growth-oriented nature”, says Leppert. “Cities are bursting at the seams, but this will eventually also cause problems in other areas. The number of available GPs, for example.”