Angry, surprised and anything but comfortable. Several local residents of the Boslaan and Burgemeester Tijmesstraat are not pleased with the arrival of a protected living location of the Limor care body on the corner of both streets. During an information meeting held today, a number of story came to get. The location, a former hotel and residential care location, has 39 care apartments for protected and sheltered living.
“We would like to know what is coming here,” says a lady at the start of the tour through the building. “As far as I know, former prisoners come here.” She is part of a group of local residents who have serious concerns with regard to the new residents.
Because there are plenty of problems in the neighborhood, they say. In the adjacent station area, there has been nuisance for years by homeless, drug addicts and Safeelanders. The day and night care of the Salvation Army is around the corner. If ex-bay customers or former TBS clients are added, then that is absolutely no longer possible, they think.
Limor’s touring employee guarantees that they are not among the clients. It is about people with psychological problems or an intellectual disability, he emphasizes. “Moreover, there is 24-hour supervision and intensive guidance.”
It does not remove the unrest. Unrest that was partly caused by poor or inadequate communication to the neighborhood, another calls. “We had to read in the newspaper that you come here.” Some local residents received a letter, but not everyone. “We feel attacked, that’s why we are a bit angry.”
Local residents fear that the local nuisance will only increase in addition to the current situation. “Recently someone was beaten up on the street. If you call the caregiver, he can’t always leave the location. That happened once.” This group is not unique in terms of their displeasure.
Regional Manager Melissa van der Molen of Limor hears the same criticism in the joint living room in the building. Despite the negative sounds expressed, she hopes for an ‘optimal collaboration’ with the neighborhood. “That is also the reason why we opened the doors to the public today. We would like to start a conversation.”
According to Van der Molen, Limor already settled in the building in January. Was it not better to talk to the local residents then? “With today’s knowledge, we should have already heard from us at the time.” Nevertheless, she expects to be able to remove the worries in the coming period. The door is always open and everyone can always turn and take a look within, says Van der Molen.
According to her, people get a different picture of Limor’s target group, she assures. Limor has several locations in the North, Overijssel and Zuid-Holland. There too, the body was confronted with resistance, but folds were always smoothed out again, says Limor. “We start here with a 1-0 deficit, but maybe we got it again at 0-0 today.”