More and more inhabitants are living in the Haringstad without a roof or at home, shows recent count of the Kansfonds. Within the municipality there are a total of 66 adults and 17 children who are homeless.
Bert Bouw, treasurer of Foundation for Effies, endorses that. “That is quite a big problem. Finding a suitable home is becoming increasingly difficult.” The Foundation, which came from the Protestant Church in Enkhuizen in 2014, is committed to helping the homeless on their way again by offering them temporary accommodation.
Together with housing corporation Welwonen, the Foundation has four ‘flow -through houses’ at their disposal. There is also a regular care in hotels, on holiday parks and in caravans at Stadcamping de Vest. “That depends on how long someone needs shelter,” says Bouw.
He explains how the foundation works. “The neighborhood team approaches us asking if we can help. Then we call around to see if there is room available somewhere. If there is room at a campsite, for example, we are looking for a caravan nearby on Marktplaats.” The foundation pays everything out of its own pocket.
Forced living in a caravan
Talitha Groot, owner of a massage parlor in Enkhuizen, is also helped in this way for Effies. After being put out of her house, and for a while with her mother, she now lives with her son (7) forced in a caravan at Stadcamping De Vest. “I never expected that I would ever be homeless,” she tells NH.
She is grateful that she now has a roof over her head. “We try to make the best of it, but it is very heavy as a single mother in a small caravan.”
Talitha Groot from Enkhuizen is helped by Stichting voor Effies. NH spoke to her earlier this week (text continues under the video):