DUWO Student housing
I'm looking for supervised living (Foyer)
Foyer
Facilities
Target audience
Aims
What to expect
Courses
Application
Intake procedure
Support by the supervisory institution
Phases of the stay
House rules
Contact
Foyer
In March 2003, DUWO established a unique project on the Amsterdamse Veerkade in The Hague under the name DUWO Foyer. The DUWO Foyer is home to 38 young adults who can benefit from a helping hand on their way to independence. Residents at the Foyer have often spent time under social services supervision or have lived on the streets or under the temporary care of friends or family. If you come to stay at the Foyer, you need more than just a roof above your head.
A striking characteristic of the Foyer is the combined attention devoted to living, working and education. Living in a group stimulates residents to learn to respect and adapt to others. Residents learn how to work together as well as how to reasonably call each other to account for their behaviour. However, it is not only about independent living, the supervision is just as important. The Foyer is responsible for the supervised living and social services arrange any further supervision that is required.The Foyer provides a safe haven where residents can get their affairs straight and concentrate on their future while receiving the required support. A stay at the Foyer can be viewed as the last stop before effective integration into Dutch society.
Facilities
Residents stay in their own room and share facilities such as the kitchen, shower, toilet and living room. The rooms are fully furnished and the kitchen is equipped with a gas cooker and microwave. The Foyer is also equipped with several computers offering free internet access to the residents. The laundry is equipped with two washing machines and two dryers. The gardens, one enclosed by the complex, and one behind the complex, are for communal usage and also house the bike sheds and rubbish collection area..
Target audience
The Foyer was founded for young people from 17 to 27 years old. Residents at the Foyer have often been through a period of insecurity regarding their housing situation and daily life and may have also been subject to problems within the family and found it difficult to study or find work.
Residents who opt to stay in the Foyer make a conscious decision to improve their lives and are receptive to guidance. Potential residents are carefully assessed during the intake procedure to ensure that they are sufficiently motivated to live in the Foyer. A total of five communities live in the Foyer. Within each community, the aim is to achieve a high level of diversity in terms of cultural background, nationality, gender and age.
If you are purely looking for a room, without the involvement of others, then the Foyer is not the place for you.
- The Foyer provides the ideal situation to allow residents to learn skills that will assist them in living, learning and working completely
- independently. A primary aim at the Foyer is that residents are able to transfer to standard DUWO accommodation or private housing within a period of between six months and two years.
- the provision of appropriate accommodation
- supervision of the building
- 24-hour supervision of residents
- the provision of appropriate subsequent accommodation upon departure from the Foyer
- ensuring the living environment remains inhabitable in collaboration with residents
- monitoring of rent payment and provision of feedback to supervisory institution
- consultation with supervisory institution
- supervised living (learning to cook, clean, do the washing, make appointments)
Courses
The DUWO Foyer regularly offers courses and workshops. The range of courses includes: money management, cleaning, alcohol & drugs, sex & relationships, healthy cooking, safety, tax returns and computer skills. These courses are led by a specially invited selection of professionals and volunteers. Residents at the Foyer are obliged to attend a number of courses and training sessions. For example, residents who clearly have money management problems will be required to attend the related course. The range of courses offered at the Foyer will be discussed extensively during the intake procedure and guidance consultations.
Application
If you are just looking for a room and are already reasonably independent, the DUWO Foyer will probably not be what you need. A requirement for residency at the Foyer is the desire to make a change for the better. Residents need to want to make a change; otherwise there is a large chance that a stay at the Foyer will not meet expectations. Personal motivation of the residents is hence a decisive factor.
Potential residents cannot apply for a place at the Foyer themselves; they need to be nominated by an authorised institution who supervises the potential resident. Such institutions include the Jeugd Interventie Team [Youth Intervention Team], Stichting Jeugdformaat [local Youth Aid Foundation], social services institutions, youth welfare institutions, or aftercare and resettlement organisations. A written application needs to be sent to the Foyer describing any relevant details about the potential resident. Such information includes: the resident’s financial situation, background information, criminal record (if applicable), occupation, social behaviour and motivation.
Potential residents must satisfy a number of conditions in order to be eligible for a place at the Foyer:
- be at least 17 years old and no older than 27 years old at time of application
- have a worthwhile occupation in the form of gainful employment, a course of study, an internship, voluntary work or pre-employment programme
- not be in possession of a serious criminal record, have been recently addicted to drugs or suffer from severe psychiatric complaints
- have the financial means to pay the rent
be in possession of a valid residence permit
Intake procedure
Residents that believe that accommodation in the Foyer would be beneficial for them are advised to consult their counsellor/supervisor with regard to applying for the intake procedure.
An intake consists of two interviews. The purpose of the initial interview is to get acquainted and ascertain whether accommodation at the Foyer suits the needs of the prospective resident. It is important to work closely with the prospective resident to determine whether the Foyer can indeed provide the location and incentive for them to make a positive step towards their future. If there is any doubt regarding this or if the Foyer employees do not believe the accommodation and services that the Foyer has to offer are suitable for the candidate, they will contact the nominating institution to explain why the intake procedure has been stopped.
If the candidate and the Foyer employees agree that accommodation at the Foyer would be of benefit to the prospective resident, they are invited for a subsequent interview, together with their counsellor/supervisor. The purpose of the subsequent interview is to provide additional clarity regarding the issues on which the prospective resident will focus during their stay and with which the Foyer will assist. The candidate will be informed of whether or not they have been accepted for accommodation in the Foyer at the end of this second interview.
Support by the supervisory institution
During the first three months of residence at the Foyer, the resident will be in touch with their personal contact person at the supervisory institution at least once a week. The aim is to reduce the amount of intensive contact with the supervisory institution as the resident progresses towards independence. If, for whatever reason, residents find themselves without a counsellor during their stay, they are required to find another counsellor to provide support during their time at the DUWO Foyer.
The supervisory institution provides support for matters including:
- arranging financial affairs (student loan, (debt) repayment arrangements)
- assistance in educational matters such as selecting an educational institution, learning difficulties and assimilation (language courses, naturalisation)
- guidance on the productive use of free time
- referral to other institutions
Phases of the stay
Residents wishing to stay in the DUWO Foyer are required to sign a six-month contract. Once the six-month period has expired, a decision is made in consultation between the resident and the Foyer as to whether an extended stay would be beneficial. The maximum period of residence in the DUWO Foyer is two years. The residence has been divided into three phases, explained below:
Phase One
The initial phase takes a maximum of 12 weeks. The purpose of this period is to allow residents to settle into their new surroundings and become accustomed to living at the DUWO Foyer. Residents are required to ensure that the rent is paid on time, their finances are straightened out, their room is kept clean and tidy and that they live within the requirements of the house rules. Another primary goal is to find a purposeful daytime occupation.
Consultations with the Foyer living supervisor take place at least once a week. The representative from the supervisory institution is also consulted on a regular basis.
Phase Two
The length of this period depends upon the resident’s level of independence and need for supervision. The condition in which the resident leaves the Foyer is of the utmost importance and high expectations are consequently set for residents. Residents should be able to live life healthily: to get up on time, spend the day purposefully and make ends meet with the money available to them. Residents are also expected to take initiative and avoid unnecessary problems (or constructively resolve problems they do encounter).
Phase Three
The final phase takes a maximum of two months. The resident is ready to live completely independently and is actively hunting for alternative accommodation.
In principle, supervision is no longer necessary. In addition to arranging any formal requirements, residents also have to devote a good deal of time to gathering household effects. If everything went according to plan, residents will have saved a reasonable amount of money to pay for the initial costs of moving house and furnishing their new residence.
About six months after residents leave, the DUWO Foyer will contact them to learn about their experiences at the DUWO Foyer and to inquire as to their current situation. The DUWO Foyer is also keen to hear suggestions regarding how the services offered by the Foyer may be improved.
House rules
The house rules are a summary of what is accepted and what will not be tolerated at the DUWO Foyer. Residents will be provided with a copy of the rules during the intake and are asked to read them carefully. If a resident is invited back for a subsequent interview, they are required to bring a signed copy of the rules with them, which will be viewed as an indication that they have read the rules and agree to abide by them. The house rules are designed to make life in the Foyer as enjoyable as possible for everyone.
Contact
DUWO Foyer Den Haag
Amsterdamse Veerkade 15
2512 AG Den Haag
T: 070-3118430
E: foyer@duwo.nl