Hortance Doest -from 2003, she was a doorwoman at Blaka Watra walk-in centre. She retired in August 2023.
With her radiant warmth, she was a bright spot in the lives of homeless people. Now she is retired. Hortance Doest, a doorman at Blaka Watra walk-in centre for 20 years. "I'm still brimming with energy," she says with a smile that visitors to walk-in centre Blaka Watra know so well from her. In that smile you read genuine interest, attention and warmth. Doest radiates self-confidence. This is a woman who is able to help others because she herself feels good about herself. And that has sometimes been different. Doest: "At a young age I was abused and secretly used pot at school. At that time I still lived in Suriname. When I was eighteen I ended up in Amsterdam. It was winter and cold. Friends said, "Take this, it will warm you up. It was heroin. I became addicted. Nobody asks for that, it happens to you. But the painful things I went through in my life did make me who I am today: a strong person."
Knowing What It's Like
And her experiences took Doest into her work. "Because I experienced all those things, I was able to put myself in someone's situation and be there for them. I know what it's like to have negative words thrown at your head. The same thing happened to me when I was an addict. I no longer believed in myself and just wanted to be ugly, just to avoid being seen. Now my WhatsApp says: I am a sparkling beauty. Words have power, so I like to say positive things to people, like: "What beautiful eyes you have," or, "I see a lot of potential in you. I love to see people shine. I want to encourage people. I want to hug them. I know what it's like not to want to accept love. Now I embrace people with all the warmth I have in me."
"Words have power, so I like to say positive things to people."
Pray outside for half an hour
"As a doorman, you are the first face people see anyway," Doest continued. "I was always very conscious of that. People want to go in in the morning, are cold, frustrated, depressed. They have a head full of stress and want to fix things, but they can't. Then I listened. Once I even stood outside with a boy for half an hour praying, holding hands. He needed that. And I recognize that very well, because for me, too, God has been my salvation. That's how I got rid of the junk I had been in my head for years."
Just have a chat
She concludes with a brief anecdote: "I remember it well. At Amsterdam Central Station, I saw two men looking dirty at a homeless person. Then I heard them say, 'They should shoot them.' I turned around and said, 'Excuse me! If they did that, I wouldn't be standing here.' I'm on my way to a walk-in centre. For homeless people. People just like you and me. Have a chat with a homeless person, instead of judging. Then you'll hear why someone became homeless.'"
Hortance Doest
Walk-in centre Blaka Watra with Hortance Doest
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