Everyone who was in the building where a large fire raged in Eindhoven on Saturday safely left the building. The old Philips building was used mainly by homeless people.
According to Thijs Eradus of shelter Springplank040, the fire exposes a growing problem . “These people receive no assistance and that causes unrest.”
Burnt building
The former Philips Lighting Application Centre in Eindhoven burned down completely on Saturday evening. Large gray and black plumes of smoke drifted from the vacant building over the city centre. Eradus was informed by the municipality on Saturday that there was a fire in an empty building.
Shelter for homeless
- “I immediately went to see which building it was, and then I already knew enough. We have a number of street workers as Springboards. They knew this property right away. Many homeless people who are not entitled to shelter stay there; they have nowhere else to go.”
This mainly concerns people who are not entitled to a place in a shelter. “This is because they are not from this region. In many cases they are Central and Eastern Europeans, mainly migrant workers who do not make it and become homeless.”
Helpless
Eradus hopes this will change soon. “This group is growing. These people already caused tension in the neighbourhood. The longer they are not `helped, the greater the chance that they will display difficult behaviour.”
The shelter has now spoken to a number of people who were there when the fire broke out. “That contact remains difficult because of the language barrier but also because they do not share their thoughts easily. Everyone is shocked, that’s clear. We’re still trying to talk to everyone about it.”
Alternate arrangements
The homeless who can no longer go to the old Philips building on Lichtstraat will find shelter elsewhere. “We hear that this has already been arranged,” concludes Eradus.
Source :Studio040
Translated by: Shanthi Ramani
