Residents from Rapelenburg have written a letter to the B&W College, the diocese and SEdS (Stichting Ervaring die Staat).
The residents are protesting the planned opening of a homeless shelter in the Clarissen Monastery. They have set up a foundation called the ‘Stichting Rapelenburg en Werkgroep Herbestemming Clarissenklooster’ for this purpose.
The residents of this district are concerned that guests of the shelter will become a nuisance. They are afraid that when the homeless people leave the shelter, they will hang around in the area instead of going back to the city. They might also attract other destitute people and drug users. At the moment Rapelenburg is a child-friendly neighbourhood and the residents are concerned that this atmosphere might disappear.
In addition, the foundation has also found that there are sufficient care facilities in the vicinity of the district. Examples of this are, amongst others, the Labrehuis, Ritahuis and Emmaus. The council indicated in 2014 that the concentration of social care was (too) high in Schrijversbuurt and the Oude Spoorbaan areas and expansion of social support in the area is highly undesirable. As Rapelenburg is so close to the aforementioned areas, residents believe that this rule should also apply to their neighbourhood.
To strengthen their argument, the residents conducted a survey. It was found that about 90% of the residents are opposed to the plans.
In conclusion, the foundation reported that the residents were informed too late of the plans and they want to be more involved in the next steps.
