De Regenboog Groep is opening the doors of a new walk-in centre July 3. This walk-in centre is called AMOC-West. It offers help to Europeans who have become trapped or even homeless in Amsterdam.
AMOC-West
Visitors find peace here first and foremost. Just like at De Regenboog's 8 other Amsterdam walk-in centres. Visitors here can eat, shower, use a computer and the Internet, get clean clothes and talk to a social worker. The walk-in centre has room for 50 visitors (at a time). It is housed in the former juvenile correctional facility at Transformatorweg 6 in Amsterdam-West. HVO-Querido and the Salvation Army also have branches there.
.AMOC-West can be reached at 020-5707821
.Necessary expansion
AMOC-West caters to Europeans (without Dutch passports) who have a need for help, just like AMOC on Stadhouderskade, which has existed since 1978. However, the original AMOC has insufficient space to provide the necessary support to the growing group of visitors. This creates queues of people waiting at the door, which is annoying for visitors and a nuisance for local residents.
Seven days a week, the new AMOC-West has its door open to its visitors, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The team of daytime coordinators and social workers are fluent in many European languages. Moreover, these staff members have an international network of social workers and are experienced in counseling the target group and repatriation. This makes AMOC-West an extension of the services that AMOC has been providing for forty-five years.
Together to a more stable situation
De Regenboog Groep is pleased with the additional location. This way fewer people have to be on the streets and we open roads to a more stable situation for drop-in visitors. The start of the walk-in centre is not only the work of De Regenboog Groep, but is being done in cooperation with the police, the municipality of Amsterdam, Veldwerk Amsterdam and fellow aid workers.
The original AMOC on Stadhouderskade will continue to serve its current visitors. The user space and night shelter will also remain there. In AMOC-West there will be no user room for hard drug use. As of July 3, new visitors at AMOC on Stadhouderskade will be referred to AMOC-West, where they are welcome for corresponding help and care: specialized and focused on them.
AMOC-West has found shelter in a former juvenile correctional facility in Amsterdam-West
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