The sale of an old care home is causing unrest in Putte. An old care home has almost been sold and should provide shelter for ex-addicted young people, while residents would prefer that elderly people could live in the building. Both residents and the municipality of Woensdrecht, which includes Putte, are surprised by the turn of events.
De Beukenhof residential care home has been empty since 2023. The elderly who lived there had to move because the necessary care was no longer available there. A loss for the village, according to the Putte Village Platform, which stands up for the interests of residents. “We then did various things to maintain care for the elderly in the village,” says Frank Roeken, chairman of the village platform.
Worries in the village
There was suspicion last week that the building had probably been sold. The village platform found out through-via that vulnerable young people, including former addicts, are going to live in the old Beukenhof. Now the village is on its hind legs. “We cannot let this happen,” says Roeken.
The village is not waiting for those young people at all, says the chairman. “We have a lot of drug nuisance in the village. Two large dealing places are a hundred meters away from the place. How do you integrate into society? That is a question we have.”
In addition, last week the municipal council adopted a request to the mayor and aldermen to no longer accommodate certain vulnerable target groups in the villages of the municipality. “We already have many migrant workers and status holders in the village,” says the chairman, who is not happy with the state of affairs. “We feel like we’ve been cheated. This is bad for the quality of life in the core.”
Municipality surprised
The municipality of Woensdrecht, which includes Putte, also indicates that it is surprised about the sale of the old Beukenhof. When the building was vacant, the municipality continued to talk to the care organization AuntLouise. “Aunt Louise has always indicated that the intended target group was the elderly or disabled,” says a response from the mayor and aldermen.
Care organization AuntLouise has announced that there is a provisional purchase contract. Director Ingeborg Roks understands the desire to offer the elderly a place in their own home, but she believes that the organization itself cannot fulfill that wish. “The Beukenhof turned out to be no longer suitable for elderly care, so it had to close in 2023. We then looked to see if something was possible, but that turned out to be impossible. On that basis, the building was put up for sale a year and a half ago,” Roks responds.
First serious offer
She explains that in all that time no one has been interested in the building, which has a ‘social purpose’. “This is the first serious offer in that entire period,” says Roks, who indicates that he does not know who will live in the building. “It is up to the buyer to further flesh this out based on that social purpose.”
The municipality of Woensdrecht says it is aware that the purchasing healthcare real estate company plans to rent the building to an organization that provides care to people with addiction and psychological problems. “The council would like to discuss the use of the building with the buyer and the ultimate user.”