Sergej lives in an illegal Schellinkhout apartment, but has to leave after a fire

Almost a month ago things went horribly wrong on the Dorpsweg in Schellnkhout. A fierce fire breaks out in a part of the business park. The blaze completely destroys that part of the units. A day later, a body is found, most likely the Brazilian Edilene Moorman is.

Soon after the fire, there are stories about illegal habitation. according to several tenants, the owner must also have been aware of this. Edilene turns out not to be the only one who has stayed on the site for a long time. Another resident is Sergej Fokke, who will find shelter there in August 2021. He resides in a section that escapes the dance.

Don’t expect a dingy mattress between car parts or a bare room with just a bed. Many starters are jealous of Sergej’s neat apartment. It has about 90 square meters and – spread over two floors – a kitchen, bathroom, living room, bed, large wardrobe and storage space. “A friend of mine once said: ‘I would also like to live here’.”

The space is a godsend for Sergej, after an inky black period. A few years ago he still owned several catering establishments in the capital. One of them, Door 74, is even among the best 50 bars in the world. Life smiles on him when he buys a farm in Schellinkhout in 2015.

Bankruptcy and divorce

A bankruptcy and a divorce later, he sees life from a completely different side. Sergei is on the street and is grateful to the owner of the property for approaching him to move into the apartment. “You’re walking on thin ice, you know that. Of course I knew there was no residential destination here, but what do you do? I can’t get a mortgage from the bank after the bankruptcy and the rents are going through the roof. This was for me the perfect place to relax after an intense period. It gave me time to make new plans, including as a personal trainer and performance trainer.”

In addition, the location plays a role. In the countless photos in the apartment, a repeating factor is visible: his son Kye, aged 8. “He is my driving force. His mother also lives here in the village and he attends school here. So I want to be around. He is half a week with me and that’s why it’s nice how the apartment looks. Not many people who have an opinion on this area know that. I really don’t let him sleep on the floor between car tires and bolts. If I don’t get him would have? Then I would no longer have lived in the Netherlands.”

As soon as the fire breaks out, he knows: something is wrong. “I heard sirens and saw blue flashing lights. And then flames of up to 20 meters high. The police asked me if there were more people on the site. I said that sometimes there were some people. I never pay much attention to this others, wouldn’t recognize that Brazilian woman quickly either. After that I left very quietly through the meadow, together with my son.” He also knows how to bypass previous checks.

In a conversation with the municipality of Drechterland, he was told two weeks ago that he had to leave, under penalty of a penalty. “I still have about six weeks. I have set out a lot of lines, but it is very difficult to find something. Yesterday I reacted immediately when I saw something pass by, but there were still 20 others before me.”

He understands that he has to leave, but is critical of the municipality. “‘You just have to register for a rental home’, they say. But then it will take years before it’s your turn. Everyone knows that. I tried to rent a piece of land in Schellinkhout, where nothing had been happens with it. To temporarily set up something there. But I don’t get permission for that. I don’t have the idea that the municipality is involved in solutions.”

So new unrest in his head. “It does cause stress. You get up with it and go to bed with it. You don’t want to move from couch to couch later. But I’m sure: there will be a solution.”