“Being bold is a requirement”

You may cycle past it sometimes: the coffee house of the Volksbond in Haarlemmerstraat. Homeless people can apply for a membership card here. It doesn’t matter what nationality you are or whether you are legal or illegal. Besides cheap food and drinks, visitors can also receive advice or assistance in approaching agencies. Those who wish can also contribute as volunteers, for example behind the bar. There is also a cleaning team made up of visitors and other volunteers, the “Haarlemmer Heroes”. They do cleaning and maintenance tasks in Haarlemmerstraat and the surrounding area.Understanding in the vicinityNext to the coffeehouse is a 2^{Sorry, but I need more context to provide a translation.}A glove clothing store where you can score well for little money. The store is a household name in the neighborhood. Residents of the neighborhood drop off clothing and make purchases there. But they also perform various tasks, together with volunteers from the target group. This ranges from sorting and altering clothes to serving customers. The store offers a special service for cardholders of the coffee house. They can exchange dirty clothes for clean ones for free on Mondays and Fridays. On other days, it is possible to purchase clothing at very low prices.I couldn’t believe my eyesVolunteer Martine has been working in the coffee house for some time and enjoys it. “You need to have a good motivation to want to work with people who fall through the cracks. Homeless people are seen as having little success in the eyes of many, something people do not want to be associated with. In my view, all people matter. That’s something I learned at home. Of course, when I arrived in Amsterdam to study psychology, I was amazed. I come from a relatively small town and had never seen homeless people, let alone people eating out of a trash can. But you know, ultimately it’s about people’s happiness. Even weak people can become strong. Here in the coffee house, you can seize that opportunity, but also just take a breather. In that sense, this volunteer work is very similar to social work. You keep track of the cash, make calls to a benefits agency, it all comes up.”That was not the agreementDuring our conversation, a homeless person enters. He waits for a moment because he understands that we are in a conversation and leans against the desk. However, Martine makes it clear to him that we are having a private conversation and she would prefer him to wait in the coffee shop, to which he pulls out a beer. “That’s not the agreement and you know it,” Martine leads him to the exit. “Being able to act decisively is a requirement,” says Martine with a wink. “You must not be afraid and know how to approach people. Diplomacy and a respectful approach help. We have clear rules here. You are not allowed to bring or drink alcohol, otherwise, we will ask you to leave. It’s not all doom and gloom, there are beautiful moments every week. Like arranging a place to sleep for a visitor at the last minute or just listening to someone who is going through a tough time. Yes, I derive a lot of satisfaction from my volunteer work.”Interview:ViiA

Want to volunteer at the coffee house?

View the volunteer vacancies in the Coffee House here.
All volunteer vacancies (almost 1500 in total) can be found at:vacaturebank.vca.nu– We are happy to help you find something that suits you! If you can’t figure it out online and prefer to discuss it face to face with us, we’re here for you.Then make an appointment at one of our branchesor call 020-5301220