PROBLEM?
| People falling between the cracks.
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WAT does De Regenboog do? | Quickly respond to sudden requests for help from those who have nowhere else to turn, by starting new projects with money from bequests.
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WHAT CAN YOU DO?
| Never leave the city a little nicer by including De Regenboog Groep in your will. For questions or just to chat about it, contact Marloes Wijnekus: mwijnekus@deregenboog.org or 06 82 06 22 21.
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AnOTHER FUTURE FOR SEVEN YOUNG WASHERS
Through the will, you can pass on the things you care about, such as caring for people who are struggling in their lives, in a very special way. Helping people who turn to De Regenboog Groep for any reason will continue to be needed in the distant future. By including us in your will, you ensure that we can continue to provide that help. Our fundraiser Marloes Wijnekus talks about a special donation we received from an inheritance.
Marloes: "In this case, the person who received the inheritance passed it on to De Regenboog Groep. With some guidelines attached; something we are of course happy to cooperate and think about. For example, the donor wanted the gift to be spent in a way that would have a significant impact on the lives of the people being helped. The choice fell on supporting young adults (ages 18-21) who were economically homeless or at risk of becoming so. This is a group that falls between the cracks: they are denied access to municipal shelters because it is assumed that they are "self-reliant," while they receive lower benefits due to their age. Thereby, the -wrong- assumption is made that a parent is still responsible and can contribute. The donation from the inheritance was used, among other things, to pay a first rent bill, contribute to housing costs and pay off debts. This prevented (further) homelessness for seven youth and created a stable foundation for the future. From this foundation with a focus on housing stability, the young adults are now further assisted by our social workers in rebuilding their lives. This includes picking up studies, finding work and strengthening their independence. These young people came to De Regenboog Groep from hopeless or unsafe situations, often without a network or support, but with the will to turn their lives around and make something of it.
"Otherwise the nineteen-year-old homeless Amsterdammer will soon be the forty-year-old visitor of a walk-in centre, with years of debt and other problems"
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Policy Change
Marloes also points out that this project prompted the municipality to open the conversation about a structural problem in policy. "Young people under the age of twenty-one receive less (financial) support, because it is assumed that there is help from their parents or network, which is demonstrably not there in these cases. By naming the bottlenecks and sharing our success stories, we hope for a policy change. Otherwise, the 19-year-old homeless Amsterdammer will soon be the 40-year-old visitor to a walk-in centre, with years of debt and other problems. This special donation has prevented that for seven young adults."
Inheritances provide security
In your will, you can include that De Regenboog Groep receive a fixed amount or certain percentage of the inheritance. ÓOr specific assets. De Regenboog Groep is recognized as an Institution for General Benefit (ANBI), which means we pay no inheritance tax on the gift. "The importance of legacies is enormous," Marloes continues. "Support from donors gives us security for the future and legacies are an important part of that. This security is necessary, because our work -unfortunately- will also be needed for a very long time. The demand for help is only increasing: more walk-in centres, more economically homeless people, more people with mental health problems. Often people are reluctant on the subject of inheritance and we only know that we receive a bequest or legacy after the donor has died. Of course, we always carefully find a wonderful use, but more openness I would welcome. Talk about it. Also with us, then together we can even give the legacy a very specific purpose, maybe even nicer ..."