It has been a lot of shaking in the Netherlands for weeks. Tonight the temperature is once again down to far below freezing. Drenthe homeless people can therefore go to reception places in Emmen and Assen. With -5 degrees, that is perhaps even for the most fanatic outdoor sleeper a proposal that cannot be refused.
For those who are horrified by the cold and flapper teeth at night while trying to grasp sleep: there is good news approaching. From Thursday the mercury rises and it seems done with temperatures around or below freezing.
But before the time comes, it will continue for a few days. All Drenthe homeless people can turn to Assen or Emmen for a warm overnight stay. This is possible thanks to the so -called ‘winter arrangement’ of the GGD Drenthe. This means that more reception spots will become available at low temperatures or other unpleasant weather conditions.
The Salvation Army ensures that the homeless people are warm. “In Assen,” says Tirza Koster of the Salvation Army, “we now catch about seven people more than normal and in Emmen there are ten. The longer the cold persists, the more people there are.” The current winter is comparable to previous winters, sees the care and welfare organization.
If the temperature becomes so low that it becomes unsafe, then the Salvation Army itself actively looks for fanatic outdoor sleepers to bring them in. If the feeling temperature comes below -10 degrees, according to Koster, the Salvation Army exerts a lot of pressure to sleep inside. “Because the safety of people is paramount.”
For the time being that this winter only happened on 11 February. The coming nights are getting cold, but it seems that the Salvation Army does not remove outdoor sleepers.