De Haagse Soepbus Likes to Offer More Than Food to People in Need
15 August 2022
Nobody should go hungry in The Hague, everybody agrees on that. For residents of The Hague who live in poverty or who have become homeless, there are assistance programs and shelter schemes that offer help in all kinds of ways. For example, with access to the food bank, debt counseling, social work and learn-work trajectories. However, there are groups that don't have access to these services.
An example is migrants from Central and Eastern Europe who, often under false pretenses, were recruited for work in The Netherlands and end up on the streets here after a few weeks or months. For example, once here, the long-term work that was promised turned out to only last a few weeks. All while they had to sign a rental contract of six months. As a result they end up with debts and on the street without any rights. Other examples are residents of The Hague who avoid the social assistance circuit by choice, and there is a growing group of people who are not homeless but who do have difficulty making ends meet.
De Haagse Soepbus is available for all citizens of The Hague who, for whatever reason, do not have access to regular food distribution. A bowl of hot soup, fresh fruit, coffee and a bread package can be collected from their location on the Koekamp daily from 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM, without registration or identification. Every day between 35 and 80 people are waiting for a cup of soup or coffee when the Soepbus arrives.
New Ambitions
De Haagse Soepbus was founded by the Kessler Foundation and has been around for 34 years. Over the years, the target group and the zeitgeist have changed, as has the approach of De Haagse Soepbus. More than once, the Soepbus was threatened with closure. But the management of the Kessler Foundation was always convinced of the need to provide food to people in need, and solutions were found so that the bus could continue to do its job. For example, socially conscious entrepreneurs stepped in when the subsidy was withdrawn and an affiliated organization temporarily supplied a bus when the Soepbus burned down. The food provided by the Soepbus is also partly supplied by benevolent entrepreneurs from The Hague.
In 2022, the Soepbus was parted from the Kessler Foundation and will continue independently, under its own management and with a new mission and vision. “We see that because our offer is unconditional, we are a first point of contact for people who have ended up on the street. I think we should try to achieve more than just offering that cup of soup.” explains Frans Pas, chairman of the board of De Haagse Soepbus Foundation. Frans has a significant track record with the Kessler Foundation and other relief organizations that target people in poverty and the homeless.
Broad Collaboration
Since the independence of De Haagse Soepbus Foundation, Frans has focused on establishing a broad collaboration within the local aid network. The Street Consulate, the Street Pastorate, the Salvation Army, the Barka Foundation and the Kessler Foundation work together with the Soepbus in The Hague to offer, in addition to food, a low-threshold step towards getting help. “With this collaboration we are killing two birds with one stone” explains Frans. “On the one hand, our separation from the Kessler Foundation means that we no longer have access to the professionals who used to ride on the Soepbus, and we now work exclusively with volunteers. To compensate for this, professionals from one of the partners are deployed 5 times a week (on the weekend the board helps out on the Soepbus). On the other hand, we can now also offer direct and low-threshold access to the assistance provided by those organizations.”
“Now we can say: If you need help with an online registration or application, come by on Wednesday. Then the Salvation Army is present with their mobile office. If you want help finding a daytime activity or a labor reintegration process, come by again on Tuesday because then the Barka Foundation will be present, and so on. Barka focuses specifically on CEE-landers, Central and Eastern Europeans, who form a significant part of the Soepbus target group. This collaboration benefits all parties and individuals involved.” Frans continues. “Together we can ensure that this target group remains in the picture, receives care and where possible also finds future perspective again.”
Human Connection and Confidence
With the new mission and vision of De Haagse Soepbus, the team is also working hard on developing a new electric bus with a different design. “The current Soepbus is primarily designed from a safety perspective. In case an incident occurs. As a result, there is a great distance - and height difference - between the supplier of the soup and the customer. This environment does not invite a low-threshold conversation that can lead to introductions to the aid circuit. Moreover, hardly any incidents have occurred on the Soepbus that would justify this focus on safety. We only come to offer something and therefore do not provoke aggression.” Explains Frans.
The new bus should invite equal, human contact between volunteers and the target group. There should be no difference in height and it should be easy to get off the bus and walk between the people. “That suits some volunteers better than others. And that's fine in itself, we need all kinds of people. But it is precisely that personal contact that is what we strive for. That gives them the opportunity to build up the (self) confidence that these people need in order to accept assistance.” says Frans. “I am convinced that this will enable us to add a lot more value for the target group and for society.” Frans concludes.
Read more about Haagse Soepbus op www.dehaagsesoepbus.nl. Interested to contribute to this initiative as a volunteer? Get in touch with the team via info@dehaagsesoepbus.nl