Armed with a plastic bag, clean underwear and a toothbrush, he had to cross ‘a meter-high threshold’ in order not to decide to turn around in advance.
Van Ooijen thought it was important that they let him in; ‘that is national accessibility of reception’. The bag gave him the feeling that something is ‘really his’. In the shelter he talked to several sleepers, each with their own story. “The smell of sweat in the hall is waiting for me,” he writes. It fits the ‘real working visit’ that turned out to be ‘honest and rawer’ that he could ever have imagined.
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Maarten van Ooijen/LinkedIn
Still, many LinkedIn users doubt his intentions and the “honesty and rawness” of the visit. Someone calls it a “slumber party.” “I even think it’s contempt. It may be uncomfortable for you, but it’s still a play.” Silvia wonders if the Secretary of State wants applause for this action. “Or a deep bow? ‘Homeless’ are just people like you and me… who happened to have had it less fortunate in life.”
Janina writes: “Too bad this whole experience is about you and not how you experience the homeless except whether they snore. Everyone is there with a story. What are you going to do next?” Nevertheless, Van Ooijen also receives praise: „I do support this action, however. It is often very difficult for administrators to visualize the practice, the reality, on which they make policy.”