De Kloof

In De Kloof, everyone is welcome. The walk-in centre is located in an old building full of corridors and bay windows, and there is something happening in every room. Like in the large walk-in room where visitors can quietly drink a cup of coffee, but also, for example, watch a movie on rainy days. De Kloof is Amsterdam's oldest shelter for the homeless, founded by the Catholic St. Vincentius Society. Located in the basement of a monumental canal house on the Kloveniersburgwal, right in the center of the city. De Kloof can best be compared to a beehive. The space has the intimacy of a beautifully decorated basement, but is always packed with visitors from all corners of the city.

De Kloof uses a unique system where visitors are given a card in the morning with a number on it. Whoever comes first has the best number, and is one of the first to get their turn at one of the facilities in the afternoon. In De Kloof, visitors can shower, exchange clothes, drink coffee and eat something. It is also primarily a place to unwind and take care of business with, for example, a social worker.