The Tuinstraatkwartier neighbourhood in De Bilt, the Netherlands, is an old and beloved residential area. It has pleasant neighbourhoods, mature trees, old façades and, above all, many involved residents. But the 179 homes do have some shortcomings, partly due to their age. These include moisture and draughts, but also asbestos and overdue burglary prevention. The SSW housing foundation, the municipality and the tenants are therefore working on a plan for the future in which the homes will be improved while the beautiful neighbourhood is preserved.
That plan is still in the making. The housing association has not yet made up its mind: are they going to demolish, renovate or apply a combination of the two? In the meantime, there is turnover in the neighbourhood, but of course it is no longer possible to conclude new, regular lease contracts. Although the housing association considers the resulting vacancy an important issue, it is primarily the local community that it wants to maintain. That is why we provide management based on the vacancy law.
A mix of people
We currently manage around 45 of the 179 homes in the district. Logically, this number will continue to grow. It is important that we ensure an optimal mix between temporary and regular tenants in order to maintain the social cohesion in the neighbourhood. The people who fit in with Monoma are particularly suited to this challenge. They are committed residents who, despite the temporary nature of their stay, are happy to work for the neighbourhood.
Green, greener, greenest
Their involvement in the neighbourhood became clear at the end of October last year. At that time, in cooperation with Woonstichting SSW, the municipality of De Bilt, regular and temporary residents, we organised a Green Day with the aim of taking good care of the neighbourhood together. The green areas in the neighbourhood were given a lot of attention by the participants and at the end of the day the neighbourhood looked a lot nicer. It is initiatives like these that ensure that everyone enjoys living in a neighbourhood, whether for a short or long time.
This also inspires us to do other fun things together.
RESIDENT OF THE TUINSTRAATKWARTIER