When you walk around Startblok Riekerhaven, you’ll find a recurring theme: Voetbalstraat, Handbalstraat, Korfbalstraat and of course the Sportparklaan. All of these names are about sports. This is because Startblok Riekerhaven once was the sports complex Riekerhaven. You can still see the previous occupation of Startblok Riekerhaven in the buildings that used to be a sports canteen or the dressing rooms that are still here and are now the office of the self management. The building that is being used for the foundation Ykeallo used to be a handball club. Another recollection of the sporting past of Riekerhaven are the fields on random places surrounding the complex where Startblokkers are in the summer for fun.
The buildings that are now on our social living project once were part of a project for students to live in at the Houthavens. This project came to an end and the buildings needed a new purpose. In 2015, around the time this project ended, there were loads of requests for asylum in the Netherlands. Amsterdam was looking for a creative solution to give these people a home. But there was a problem in the Netherlands; the young people of the Netherlands couldn’t find a home because of the housing crisis. And so, the idea to start a housing project with 50% status holders and 50% of the Dutch youth to live together came to a rise. The municipality of Amsterdam, de Key and Socius Wonen started working together and on the 1st of July 2016 the first resident got their key for their new home on our social living project Startblok Riekerhaven.
