Socius Wonen is a Dutch housing provider and property manager that adapts vacant offices and other property, including social-purpose real estate, for residential use, particularly for young people. 47 The company says its work also serves other groups with housing needs, including young people moving on from care and young refugees; it has worked with the municipalities of Utrecht and Amsterdam to house young people with refugee status. 12
A central feature of Socius’s approach is involving residents in the setup and day-to-day management of its housing locations. 12 Each location has a resident management team responsible for social and general management, including supporting a safe and liveable environment, handling maintenance requests and coordinating community initiatives. 12 Socius trains and supports these resident managers, while other residents may organise activities and contribute to community life. 12
Socius also combines housing with other uses, such as workspaces for creative businesses, hospitality, urban agriculture and music, with the stated aim of contributing to neighbourhoods and cities. 1 Its locations include Utrecht, Amsterdam, Almere, Wageningen and Leiden; its LinkedIn profile describes projects in multiple Dutch cities and more than 1,000 housing units, while its own “Who we are” page reports more than 1,800 units. 47 These figures come from different sources and may reflect different reporting dates or coverage.
The company’s head office is at Ravellaan 96 in Utrecht. 3 Socius Wonen B.V. was incorporated in 2011, and LinkedIn identifies Maarten Spil as its founder and general director. 211