Day coordinators are the hosts and hostesses of the walk-in centre. Their guests are not your average clients, but homeless visitors with their specific needs and manners. How do the "day coordinators," as they call themselves, ensure satisfied guests?
From the cameras, around 20 people can be seen standing at the door of walk-in centre Blaka Watra. Even before that door opens, Kenneth registers them in the system. He knows almost all of them by name. At half past one on the dot, Musa and Marcel walk out. Like Kenneth, they are dagco. The pair greet the visitors at the door and then quietly let them in.
Rust is scarce
.After half an hour, about forty visitors have taken their places in the walk-in. Musa surveys the space and explains, "This is their home and it's up to us to make sure it stays that way." Many visitors spend the night outside. They sleep in the area around the central station, or at least they try to. During the day, they have casual jobs that earn them some money. All in all, a restless existence. The walk-in centre is the place for them to unwind.
"This is their home and it's up to us to make sure it stays that way."
Being seen
While the house cat rounds the walk-in and allows herself to be petted, dayco Esmeralda has her hands full with a visitor who has lost her fresh pack of cigarettes. Affected by the loss, she walks back and forth. Esmeralda: "For ten euros worth of tobacco, that's probably all the money she had to spend today. So those cigarettes are important." With an agonized look, the visitor walks around restlessly for another hour or two. "It's about then being able to make people -who have absolutely nothing- feel that someone is behind them," Esmeralda articulates her task.
Daily Needs
In addition to mood management and letting people know that they are not alone, the daycos are there to take care of practical matters. Visitors have their phones charged by them. They get clean socks from the basement supply and replenish toilet paper. Someone buys a pipe at the counter for a euro and a half before retiring to the user room. Coffee is restocked, bread replenished and the washer and dryer run continuously. These are mostly basic care: things that householders take for granted in their daily routine, but for those living on the streets, they are a task.
A strong team and clear rules
The daycos completely agree on a few things. You need a stable team in which you trust each other. Moreover, good agreements are indispensable. The visitors to Blaka Watra have little space in their heads. They lack the right papers, suffer from serious psychiatric problems, are under the influence or have a mental disability. For them, rhythm and clarity are very pleasant. Not having a clear structure in the walk-in centre is guaranteed to cause trouble. And that is not what the team wants. Everything is aimed at creating peace and that is essentially also what the visitors want, even if they sometimes disrupt it themselves.
.Quite simple
The outlook for visitors varies widely. Some have been walking the streets for years and don't want to know anything about changes in their situation. Others would benefit from a place in social care, but for one reason or another do not qualify. And there are some who are waiting to return to their country of origin. All assistance in walk-in centres is provided by the social workers who attend regularly. The day co workers have their hands full with the day-to-day operations. Marcel: "Our role in the walk-in centre is quite simple. You give a buck, a hand and make a joke. The visitors don't have many expectations," he explains, "the horizon is never far away, tomorrow is another day."
And for daycos, that day is never dull. But no matter what: behind the scenes, they keep the household running and can always be counted on. In the home of their guests, they are the beacon. Indispensable.