Actually, ‘Frits en Fruitig’ in Baarle-Nassau was a place for daytime activities for people with disabilities. “But suddenly people came and asked if they could work in the garden here for a day,” recalls employee Mark Vissers. And now it is a haven for everyone who is stuck and wants to move forward. The municipality is enthusiastic and is now supporting the project financially.
Vissers talks about one of the people who is feeling a bit better through Frits and Fruitig: “There is a 74-year-old man who is quite lonely. But here he is with the group, takes one baking coffee, walks into the garden, hoes a bit and makes a chat here and there. Then the afternoon is over and he is happy with that. ‘Cause my day is so long’.”
Frits en Fruitig is located in the countryside, between Chaam and Baarle-Nassau. There is a garden, carpentry workshop, upholstery shop and a place where people can spend the night for a short time. It used to be a monastic community.
“People are visiting again. Sometimes they haven’t done it for years.”
It is an oasis of peace, says employee Johan Verwijmeren: “Just the way here. People come here from the city by bus. And as soon as they cross the highway, they come into nature and feel peace.” Vissers: “They belong somewhere here again. Visit again. Sometimes they haven’t done it for years.”
The cooperating municipalities of Alphen-Chaam, Baarle-Nassau and Gilze en Rijen are enthusiastic about Frits and Fruitig. They will support the daycare for a year. So that it becomes a place where more people can easily walk in for peace and support. Now about thirty people can go, that will be about sixty.
“It is super valuable,” says Janneke van de Laak, alderman in Baarle-Nassau. “We want to fight loneliness. And it can give people a stepping stone towards the labor market.”
Her colleague Judith van Loon van Alphen-Chaam gives an example: “You often see that people on welfare have all kinds of problems. They have difficulty getting to work on time, lack of motivation. If you then help them to get back together, so that they get a little meaning in life again, you might be able to help them find a job again.”
“He is no longer on the sidewalk at the town hall three times a week.”
Vissers employee: “A man has been coming here for a year now. He was a problem with the municipality, stood on the doorstep of the town hall three times a week and the municipality also came to his house three times a week. You haven’t seen him since he got here. He no longer visits the town hall and the municipality no longer needs to come to him.”
The municipalities now provide subsidies for a year. Quite uncertain for Vissers: “It is now a difficult period for us. Because there is no definite answer yet about the future.”
According to the aldermen, whether it will be a success depends not only on how many people will be able to find a job in the future. Van de Laak: “If people have a better life with fewer problems, then that is also worth something.” Van Loon adds: “It is also about whether someone is happier.”
