Nearly every day I see another story about people being
afraid to reach out to one another. We’re afraid of people coming to the U.S. because they
are different from us; different from our next door neighbors. You know, they
may speak something other than American… wear different cloths… and eat funny
foods. They may even be some sort of terrorist.
A Dutch landlord is providing a 25% rent discount to any of
his tenants who help a refugee resettle. The landlord’s company currently houses
85 refugees and wants to bring in 190 next year. Here are a few excerpts from the recent article:
“Home is truly where the heart is for this Dutch landlord.”
“The Trudo housing corporation in southern Netherlands is
offering a 100 euro discount on rent for any tenants who help refugees
resettle, according to the Guardian. To receive the cut, tenants need to spend
10 hours a week helping new migrants navigate Dutch bureaucracy and settle into
the neighborhood.”
“We want to find someone in the housing complex who can help
[refugees] feel at home in the neighborhood,” director Thom Aussems told Dutch
news outlet Omroep Brabant. “And let them know the customs of our country.”
"This project hopes to combat the tensions with a dose of human connection."
“Tensions occur when people don’t know each other, can’t understand each other or can’t communicate,” Aussems told the Guardian. “If you give people the opportunity to connect with each other and work together, it’s a lot more effective.”
Sounds a bit like the America I read about once.
Please go here for the rest of the story: "This Dutch Landlord Will Cut Rent For Tenants Who Help Refugees”, Sarah Grossman. Huffington Post, 20 June 2016.
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