Employees of Springplank040 are increasingly facing threats. Director Thijs Eradus also has to deal with them. This makes the work in the homeless shelter tough and sometimes downright dangerous, he says in an Eindhoven talk show.
Springplank040 employees face backlash and threats. Director Thijs Eradus also faces online and physical threats. He seriously considered quitting last year he said in the live programme Eindje van de Week (end of the week).
During the Eindhoven marathon, Eradus was running with his children. There he got nasty remarks thrown at his head. “That had a lot of impact on me and my family”, he says. Still, he decides to continue. “Because people need to be helped. That’s the most important thing to me”.
Dilemmas
According to Eradus, there is a changing mentality in society. Explaining why shelter is needed sometimes helps, but not always. “We need to talk to people faster and earlier”, he says. That can remove a lot of resistance, although it remains difficult to find enough support.
The demand for shelters continues to grow. Sometimes almost twice as many people sleep in the shelter as officially allowed. Employees then face a difficult dilemma: do you follow the rules, or do you offer a place out of humanity? “If you close the door, people might end up in a garden or under a bush”, Eradus said.
Extra places
Springplank040 is investigating where in the city there is still room for extra shelter. In Stratum, for example, shelter is still limited. More spreading throughout the city could relieve the pressure. The national political atmosphere does not help, according to Eradus. Statements on television, such as “they must return to their own country”, influence how some people view refugee reception. Still, the need remains high. “They are not all stereotypical vagrants with a bottle in their hands and a syringe in their arm”, Eradus emphasises. “Out of 10 people, eight of them have regular jobs”.
The Municipality of Eindhoven recently extended the contract with the organisation until 1 January 2028. This means that Springplank040 will continue to be responsible for the care and guidance of homeless people in the city for the next few years.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
