New insights into homelessness thanks to ETHOS census
On April 8, 2025, the annual ETHOS census took place in the municipalities of The Hague, Zoetermeer, Leidschendam-Voorburg, Rijswijk and Wassenaar. A large-scale action to Map homelessness. The municipality of Wassenaar also participated in this census. The goal is to get a clear picture of the number of people without a stable place to live, so that targeted measures can be taken to reduce and prevent homelessness.
Homelessness is not always visible; some people sleep outside, others stay temporarily with friends or family, or live in a car or vacation home. In order to accurately record all forms of homelessness, several organizations committed to this census. These include housing associations, social work, home care, foresters, campgrounds and vacation parks.
Figures for the Haaglanden region
The census shows that throughout the Haaglanden region, 7,201 people are homeless, nearly 1% of the population. This is a diverse group: not only people living on the streets, but also people staying temporarily with family or friends, or in unusual accommodations such as cars, caravans, hotels or vacation homes. A third of the group counted are women and there are people of all ages, including over a thousand children under 18.
Results for Wassenaar
In Wassenaar, 83 adults and 11 children were counted as homeless on April 8. Three adults were residing in public housing at the time, six persons were in an institution unnecessarily because they could not move on, and nine persons were residing in a housing facility such as a mobile home, car or hotel. Most of the adults (62 persons) were staying with family, friends or acquaintances. For two persons, eviction was imminent and one person's whereabouts were unknown. According to the organizations involved, the 11 children counted were probably staying with family or friends; in Wassenaar no underage children live on the streets.
Alderman Ritske Bloemendaal: "Despite the harrowing results, I am pleased that Wassenaar participated in the ETHOS census. Because the ETHOS count also reveals hidden forms of homelessness, the figures offer a more realistic picture of the problem. The results of this census give us insight into the extent of the problem and thus the possibility to look for solutions."
New residential care vision
In Wassenaar, the Wassenaar Social Team, housing corporations and the police are actively working together to prevent homelessness. This includes providing early help with money problems and preventing evictions. Now that there is better insight into how many people are homeless, the causes and solutions can be further explored. A major problem remains the shortage of affordable housing. Municipalities in the Haaglanden region are working together on a new regional housing vision. In Wassenaar, the results of the ETHOS census are included in the local residential care vision. Both regionally and locally this is working to solve and prevent homelessness.
