It is overcrowded and the staff fails to assist clients. Homeless Hans Broeders does not have a good word for the Transit Facility (DSV) in Breda. According to him, ‘normal’ homeless people get hit by the rain. “The broom has to go through,” he says. Director-director Judith Kuypers acknowledges the capacity problem, but also points to the difficult target group and jumps into the breach for her employees.
It keeps rumbling in the overcrowded homeless shelter in Breda. Hans Broeders lost his business and owner-occupied house due to the corona crisis and a good dose of bad luck and is now sounding the alarm.
“It’s a mess,” he says. “I see ordinary homeless people coming in and leaving as junk. They are just not being helped properly. The care is not sufficient, the staff is not always involved and it takes far too long for clients to get accommodation.”
Broeders immediately also indicates that there are homeless people who do not want to be helped at all. According to him, they cause nuisance, verbal abuse and aggressive behavior in the Throughput Supply (DSV). But there’s more to it, he says.
“You shouldn’t put someone who works in a bedroom with a heavy junkie.”
Brothers gives an example. “It goes wrong at the intake,” he says. “It takes a long time to arrive and the wrong people have to share a bedroom with each other. You shouldn’t put someone who works with a heavy junkie. They live at night and that drives you crazy. But you are not listened to .”
The Breda Transit Facility, an intermediate station to private accommodation, is struggling with overcrowding. The building is intended for forty clients, but at the moment there are an average of seventy residents per day.
“The overpopulation causes more irritation and people go crazy.”
Judith Kuypers is director of SMO Breda. She acknowledges the problem, but also makes an important comment. “That has been the case for a while and we are working on a solution. There is a very complicated target group there for a long time on each other’s lips. That causes more irritation and people who go crazy. That is a problem because people with different problems recover best with rest.”
Punishments are handed out to keep things in line. The toughest measure is that clients are put on the street and have to sleep outside. According to homeless Hans, this happens several times a week. It happened to him himself. “They kicked me out for not getting my paperwork in order,” he says, “but it wasn’t my fault.”
Kuypers denies that people are just thrown onto the street and states that her staff act professionally. “These punishments are not just there. Certain behavior is simply not tolerated. There are sometimes gigantic threats to our employees. I am also there for them and to prevent them from dropping out.”
“There are no homes and everyone is looking for one. Young people, refugees and also the homeless.”
Inge Verdaasdonk, leader of the SP in Breda, is strongly against people being put on the street. On Thursday evening she will submit a motion against sleeping outside in the city council. She also points out another major problem. “Nothing flows through there at all,” she says. “There is a care and housing problem at the DSV.”
“There are simply no homes,” Kuypers also acknowledges that problem. “We are talking with the municipality and housing cooperatives about how on earth we are going to solve it. Young people, refugees and also the homeless, everyone is looking for a place to live.”
Judith Kuypers will talk to Hans Broeders about the problems next week. “I hope it is sincere and not for the sake of appearances”, concludes Hans. According to Kuypers, he can count on that.