If something doesn't change soon, community center Oleander will have to close its' doors on July 1st. This is a disaster for the people and organizations that use the center, as they will have to try and find different locations without having a say.
This isn't the first time that something like this has happened ever since the organization Humanitas took control of some of the social aspects in the area of Feijenoord. There seems to be a vision based on a select few, bigger community centers. For most citizens, however, the distance becomes too much or the new center doesn't suit the specific activities they would like to host or do.
This isn't the first time that something like this has happened ever since the organization Humanitas took control of some of the social aspects in the area of Feijenoord.
The smaller locations don't seem to fit the vision Humanitas is striving for, which will lead to them having to close the doors permanently. A process that seems to have been planned for a while now, without talking to the people using the centers. An independent study showed that citizens in the are would very much like Oleander to stay. Unfortunately, it seems like their opinion doesn't count.
An agreement was made with the local neighborhood council, without the input of the people who use the center, and promises have been made that they would only close down the center as soon as everyone had been appointed a new location. This promise hasn't been kept and more importantly: the people don't want to leave the current location at all.
So what now? Some of the elderly that used to host their morning get-togethers in a different location before that was closed down and they had to move to Oleander, will have to find a new place again. The group has grown tired of all the constant moving and has decided to stop hosting their activity, potentially leading to isolation.
The situation is completely unacceptable, especially when it happens in a neighborhood where a lot of people experience social and financial difficulties. A neighborhood where poverty is a huge issue needs facilities like these and it's time organizations start treating it as such.