It is bustling again in Bosschenhoofd and not least through the brand new village house that was opened exactly a year ago. “Actually even above expectations because there was nothing here, except for the elderly. Now we see that young and old come together. It is therefore more than worth the investment,” said Alderman Thomas Melisse of the municipality of Halderberge.
Due to declining subsidies and high energy costs, village and neighborhood centers are under pressure. From 2026, municipalities also get less money from the government to perform their duties, which threatens to impose the facilities.
In the village house it is very busy on a weekday day. A billiards are placed in a special room while in the ‘living room’ next to it a number of elderly people gathered for the joint meal. “I am a widow, at home I am sitting on my own with my plate. Here I have claims and socializing,” says Toos van Gastel.
“It’s a health investment.”
Recently, in the Spring Memorandum municipalities, the cabinet decided to assign extra money to compensate for the expected ‘canyon year’ in 2026. The allowance is primarily intended to overcome the increasing costs for youth care. But before 2028, new cuts are already in the pipeline.
Alderman Melisse believes that this should not be at the expense of the village houses who, according to him, are the ‘DNA of the village’. “Ultimately, it is also an investment in health. People with sufficient social contacts are more pleasant in life. I am really convinced that this is a very important preventive facility that contributes to the mental resilience of elderly people in this case.”
“Dorpshuis is for all generations.”
Nevertheless, the alderman at the same time emphasizes that the village house is not just a meeting place for seniors. “On the contrary, we saw that, for example, during the four -day walking when the thirties and forties and their children managed to find their way here. The same applies to the activities around Sinterklaas, carnival and during King’s Day. The village house is for all generations.”
They also find that village houses belong to the social heart of a village in the municipality of Gilze en Rijen. “Our socio-cultural centers are more than just buildings. These are places where residents meet, organize something together or just walk in for a chat. That is why we want to develop the link in Gilze and the message in Rijen into real living rooms of the community,” the municipality says.
“This is typically Brabant.”
In addition to the village house, there has recently been a supermarket in the village in Bosschenhoofd. Together with the only café, according to Thomas Melisse, they form the connecting ‘lubricating oil’ of the village. “They complement each other in a natural way. The village has come to live again.”
He continues: “This is also typically Brabant and that is why I am a champion of these types of facilities. As municipalities, we have to make financial choices and perhaps that means that we as Halderberge, for example, cannot be a leader with the energy transition. But for me the smile of all those people here in the village house is prospectable. I am proud of that.”
