For years, Halima longed for one thing: a place to truly call her own. Not just a roof over her head, but a real new beginning—her own door to close, no more shared kitchens or temporary beds, and an end to constant uncertainty.
Finally, the moment came. Halima received a house. Relief and euphoria washed over her; it seemed everything would change. But what Halima discovered behind her front door felt more like a bad joke than a true new start.
A bare welcome
There was no flooring, no lighting, and no curtains—literally nothing but empty walls. The apartment wasn’t a home, just a shell, a “box to survive in, not to live in.” “It’s hard to believe that no one arranged anything for me,” Halima says. There was no basic support, no guidance, and not even a welcome package. All she received was a key and the message: Good luck.
She had thought she was ready for her new start, but how do you begin when even a simple dish towel is a luxury item? With no one nearby to help and the municipality leaving her to fend for herself, Halima felt truly alone.
“Figure it out yourself”
While some Dutch communities offer standard help—furnishing support, guidance, or a starter kit—Halima’s municipality did not. “I received nothing here. No explanation, no supplies, no attention. It’s as if I don’t exist.”
Halima feels pushed aside. While others begin their integration process and settle in, she literally sits in the cold. “My windows were drafty, but I didn’t even have anything to cover them. When I asked for help, I was told, ‘That’s not our job.’”
Every small comfort is a victory
But Halima refused to stay quiet. She called around, reached out on Facebook groups, and sought help from local neighbors. Slowly—and only after much effort—things began to change. A secondhand table, a lamp from a giveaway page, a curtain from a kind neighbor: each small addition felt like an important win.
Still, Halima is frustrated. “Why should someone who’s already lost everything also have to fight for basics like curtains?” she wonders. “Why isn’t there one national approach or guarantee of a proper start for people like me?”
A house without real help is not a true beginning
Help organizations confirm that Halima’s story is not unique. Many new residents are assigned apartments, but don’t get the basics to make them livable. “It’s like giving someone a boat without any paddles,” a local shelter worker says. “You’re just waiting for things to go wrong.”
Halima manages to scrape by—but not thanks to the system. In fact, it’s in spite of it. “A house on its own is not enough. You need to be able to actually live there,” she says. “If we really believe in equal chances for everyone, it’s time for a different approach.”
Source: https://www.nieuwspauze.nl/halima-kreeg-een-huis-maar-is-er-totaal-niet-blij-mee-schandalig/