35 homeless people who were no longer allowed to stay in the forests around the World Forum in The Hague due to the NATO summit have received a gift certificate from the Salvation Army. The idea is that they can replace lost items with it.
The group of homeless people was not allowed to stay in the forests during the NATO summit because an emergency ordinance was in effect there. During the summit, they stayed in a vacant school building in the city.
When they left the temporary shelter, they received a gift certificate from sports store Decathlon worth 70 euros from the Salvation Army. A spokesperson confirms this to NU.nl after reporting by Omroep West. The choice was made for a voucher because, among others, foresters saw that personal belongings or sleeping bags may have been lost when the forest was cleared for the NATO summit.
“With the vouchers, we wanted to compensate them for the (possible) loss of their personal belongings and give them the space themselves to determine what they needed most at that moment,” says the spokesperson. “Whether that is a tent, clothing or other basic necessities.”
“We realize that this is not a structural solution, but within the possibilities, we felt it was important to at least make this human gesture. At the same time, we continue to advocate for sustainable solutions for people without shelter,” adds the spokesperson.
The municipality of The Hague speaks of “a noble gesture.” But the Street Consulate, which represents the interests of homeless people in The Hague, calls the situation “awkward and uncomfortable.” “The entire NATO circus is gone, it has not yielded anything for the city and homeless people are completely back to square one,” says Jan de Vries of the organization to Omroep West.
The municipality says in a response to Omroep West that the group that stayed in the vacant school building was offered extra help. Not everyone would sleep in the forest again. A spokesperson cannot say exactly how many people have been helped.
De Vries is also afraid that homeless people who go back to sleep in the forests may be fined with their new tent or sleeping bag. It is forbidden to sleep outside in The Hague. A spokesperson for the municipality tells NU.nl that this mainly applies to tourist campers and that there is a tolerance policy for homeless people, as long as there is no dangerous situation.