Sleep in a shelter, otherwise you could get three months in prison or a fine of 5,500 euros. It almost sounds like a curfew in a police state, but it is really the rule that will apply in the municipality of Schagen in the coming days. Fortunately, the reality is different, a municipal spokesperson explains.
“That maximum penalty is legally established for these types of emergency regulations, but it will of course not be imposed if someone does not comply with it. If we find someone who tries to spend the night in the freezing cold, they will not only be approached by an enforcer or agent, but also neatly delivered to the reception location in Den Helder.”
Not all homeless people in the picture
Formally, the regulation prohibits anyone from being outdoors for the purpose of sleeping between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. without adequate protection from the weather. “The reason we have made this an emergency regulation is to also include people who we have not yet identified.”
Such a regulation is a good thing, says Hil Rabenberg. He is director of the DnoDoen foundation, which arranges the shelter for homeless people in the north of the province. “As a shelter, you cannot on your own stop people who want to go outside unprepared. Such a regulation does protect people.”