Amsterdam helps former students with debts
The Education Executive Agency (DUO) will alert the municipality of Amsterdam if former students are in arrears with payments. This way they can be helped earlier, is the hope.
1 in 5 young people in the Netherlands have problematic debts. These include many former students with student loans. Studiefinancier and the municipality of Amsterdam want to start an experiment in which they will see exactly which people are involved and how they can be helped. Poverty minister Corola Schouten is making the project possible.
If DUO itself cannot get in touch with a student with arrears of at least 270 euros, it will pass on the contact details to the municipality. Housing corporations, energy suppliers and health insurers will also give a signal in case of arrears. An employee of an Amsterdam neighbourhood team will eventually contact the student to give tips and advice and, in case of high debt, make an offer for debt assistance.
The experiment will run for a year, after which it will be evaluated and there may be a national follow-up. (HOP, PvT)
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