Maarten van Ooijen, 32, decided to take a disguise to examine the problems of the homeless in the country closely and to see how the centers where the homeless spend the night.
Van Ooijen went to the homeless shelter in Den Bosch, in the south-central part of the Netherlands, “in disguise” the previous night.
Only the director of the social accommodation center and a night shift security guard were informed of the visit.
Taking off his stylish suit and shirt and stuffing them into a plastic market bag, the Dutch minister, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, knocked on the social shelter’s door at midnight.
Sharing his experience on his social media account the next day, van Ooijen said that although he was repeatedly told that “homeless people do not judge by stereotypes”, when he approached the door, he still had suspects about his appearance.
However, when he entered the shelter, the attendants began to politely ask questions, taking into account his private boundaries, rather than caring about his appearance or clothing.
UNDER A FAKE NAME, HE TELLED A FAKE LIFE STORY
The Dutch minister, who told a made-up life story to social shelter workers under a false name, was registered in a short time and admitted to the homeless shelter.
Chatting with other homeless people in the living room for a while, Maarten van Ooijen asked why they were homeless, whether they received social assistance and whether they received enough assistance from the state.
Afterwards, the Dutch minister, who went to the dormitory, encountered an intense smell of the ground. Van Ooijen has also been warned by other homeless people to be prepared for nighttime snoring.
Putting the plastic bag containing his clothes and toothbrush on his bed, the secretary of state felt at that moment that it was the only real thing he had.
The Dutch minister explained the truth to his friends, who spent the night in the same room, in the morning, saying, “No, it’s not the new homeless teenager. I’m the minister of state in charge of social care.”
Maarten van Ooijen says he was very pleased with the visit. Emphasizing that he made an unplanned, non-fiction, real study visit, the Dutch minister says, “It went better and more honestly than I could have imagined.”
Stating that when he stepped inside the homeless dormitory, he had the feeling, “Let me call the driver and go back home or go to a hotel. If necessary, I’ll sleep outside.”
MOST POSITIVE REACTIONS
The social media post of Minister van Ooijen, in which he described his impression in the homeless hostel, received many reactions. Most of the reactions are positive.
Social media users stated that administrators are often not close enough to social facts in their practices, therefore it is important for the Dutch minister to stay in the homeless hostel to find the truth.
Others view van Ooijen’s visit as a game, arguing that the whole experience is limited to the smell of sweat and snoring.
Social media users, claiming that the minister “reduced the problem of the homeless to a pajama party”, says, “What are you going to do for the homeless from now on, that’s the real issue.”