Winter shelter in Meerhoven for homeless people

The municipality of Eindhoven has decided to establish an emergency shelter for homeless people this winter on the wasteland behind P+R Meerhoven.

The winter emergency shelter has room for up to 70 homeless people from the Eindhoven region. The shelter will open the moment the wind chill drops below freezing. Between 4 pm and 9 am, homeless people can sleep here, shower and get a simple meal. The emergency shelter is expected to be ready November 1, 2022.

Target group
The winter shelter is intended for the group of homeless people in Eindhoven who cannot or may not go to an ordinary shelter, including asylum seekers who have exhausted all legal remedies or migrant workers from Central and Eastern Europe. The municipality does not consider it humane for them to sleep outside when it is very cold.

Location
The site behind the P+R Meerhoven appeared to be the most suitable after extensive research. The municipality is considering leaving the winter emergency shelter on the property for several years and using the shelter for other target groups during the summer months. In the spring of 2023, the municipality will make a decision about this.

Nuisance
The municipality is taking several measures to limit nuisance. These include 24-hour on-site security, police presence and enforcement and the deployment of a surveillance vehicle before and after opening hours.

More information
Residents living in the immediate vicinity will soon receive a Wijkinfo (in Dutch). The municipality is also organizing a walk-in evening on Wednesday, October 19, between 7 pm and 10 pm at Conference center De Hangar, Meerbos 4 in Eindhoven. An environmental permit is needed to place a winter emergency shelter on the site. More about this will soon be available on the website www.eindhoven.nl/winternoodopvang (in Dutch).