ROOM FOR CHANGE | The Social Hub Eindhoven makes hotel rooms available to economically homeless people
The Social Hub Eindhoven joines GiveMe5
Hybrid business hotel The Social Hub Eindhoven has joined ROOM FOR CHANGE: a programme by The Present Movement foundation inviting hotels to make rooms available to economically homeless people. During their stay at The Social Hub, participants receive structural support. The expansion to Eindhoven stems from a joining of forces with Start Foundation, which since this year has provided financial support for both the expansion of ROOM FOR CHANGE to the ten largest municipalities (the G10) and to guide project participants into employment.
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Homeless initiative ROOM FOR CHANGE set up by The Present Movement
ROOM FOR CHANGE was set up by The Present Movement, a foundation that aims to make social entrepreneurship the norm by connecting entrepreneurs with social initiatives. In doing so, the focus is on promoting equality and humanity. For ROOM FOR CHANGE, they specifically encourage the hotel industry to make five rooms or 1% of their total occupancy available per hotel to the economically homeless, who have lost their homes and ended up on the streets due to a confluence of circumstances (bankruptcy, divorce, job loss).
Expansion of ROOM FOR CHANGE to other cities through support of the Start Foundation
Over the next two years, ROOM FOR CHANGE will receive support from Start Foundation to expand the initiative to other G10 cities and support participants in their job search. This is expected to take an additional 200 people off the streets. As part of the geographical expansion, hybrid business hotel The Social Hub Eindhoven has joined the social entrepreneurship initiative. The joining of forces fits seamlessly with The Social Hub’s mission to connect people to create a better society. During their stay at The Social Hub, participants will be guided by the Springplank foundation. Sonny Biesmans, General Manager at The Social Hub Eindhoven: “Together with The Present and supportive assistance from Springplank, we hope to contribute to reducing homelessness. Hotels can play a crucial positive role in this. By making our hotel rooms available for a temporary stay, economically homeless people can recover from life on the streets and continue their search for housing and work.”
Small gesture, big impact
The ‘ROOM FOR CHANGE’ programme was born after a spontaneous action by Marnix Geus, founder of The Present Movement, who offered the then homeless Amsterdam resident ‘Paul’ a hotel stay during a cold winter weekend in 2021. Geus then asked his network for help via a Linkedin post, which went viral. “On the streets, life is rock hard,” says Geus. “You live and survive by the day which leaves no room to think about the future. By having a safe place to sleep for yourself, peace returns and with it the courage and hope to dream about one’s own existence again. The hoteliers call it a ‘small gesture’, for the homeless it is life changing.”
Hotel operators wishing to join ROOM FOR CHANGE can do so through their website.
Website: GiveMe5, The Present Movement & The Social Hub Eindhoven
