January 28, 2019

Homeless get free laser removal of tattoos in Rotterdam

Filed under: General by Orangemaster @ 2:05 pm

A foundation called ‘Spijt van Tattoo’ (roughly ‘Regretting tattoos’) is providing the homeless with free laser removal of tattoos at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. The foundation, started from out of a tattoo parlour, is helping a handful of homeless people to have tattoos removed on their face, neck and hands. Andy and Dex of the foundation had their daughter come home one night with the tattoo of a wine glass behind her ear, and felt they had to do something about such decisions.

So far, some 117 homeless people have signed up for the free laser removal, as it’s expensive, something the homeless have no money for. Everybody who has signed up must be willing to be featured in a documentary that warns teens about the effect tattoos can have on their lives, particularly when it comes to getting a job. Participants must also cooperate with research on tattoos by culture professor Henri Beunders of the Erasmus University.

A few temporary agencies have also said they will help the newly lasered find some work.

(Link: nieuws.nl)

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December 22, 2016

World premiere: donating to the homeless electronically

Filed under: Dutch first,Technology by Orangemaster @ 1:59 pm
bowl_and_spoon1

As of this holiday season people in Amsterdam will be able to give money to homeless people using their bank card and its contactless payment function. It’s an experiment that is making headlines, thought up by Amsterdam advertising agency N=5 and developed together with the ABN Amro bank.

The homeless will be wearing a special jacket with a bank card reader, allowing people to donate one euro that will be used to provide either food, a shower or a place to sleep to the homeless person in question. The accounts will be managed by the cooperating homeless shelters. The idea is to avoid seeing the money spent on alcohol and the likes, something that stops many people from giving. Once someone has donated, they will get a thank you from the homeless person on their bank account statement.

According to newspaper Het Parool, over the past years the homeless population in the Netherlands has more than doubled from 2009 to 2016, from 13,000 to 31,000 people.

(Link: www.parool.nl)

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November 25, 2014

Saudi prince descendant homeless in Leiden

Filed under: Weird by Orangemaster @ 11:05 am

LeidenCS

Today Muhammad Bin Talal, the grandson of Muhammad bin Talal of the Saudi Arabian Al Rasheed dynasty and its last prince, is a homeless man in Leiden who lives on a bench near Leiden Central Station.

Bin Talal came to the Netherlands in 1995 as a Master’s student in Social Communication at the Universiteit van Amsterdam and lived with a friend in Leiden. He also had a flush Swiss bank account thanks to his family’s fortune.

Life in Leiden was good until the family fortune had been questionably removed from his bank account by the Swiss, although he was left with some 35,000 euro from the 10 mln that was in it initially. Used to living in hotels, the money eventually ran out and he became homeless and an illegal immigrant, as his student visa ran out. He also doesn’t have a passport, but is not an asylum seeker. How he ever got his student visa is beyond me.

According to BN De Stem, his Saudi family has confirmed his back story, but they didn’t know he lived on the street. They offered him help, but he doesn’t want to owe them anything, a question of pride he says. People bring him food and he’s good with that for now.

(Link: bndestem, Photo of Leiden Central Station by harry_nl, some rights reserved)

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February 12, 2014

Rotating house in Tilburg attracts homeless people

Filed under: Architecture,Art by Orangemaster @ 2:16 pm

Since the opening of this artwork by John Kormeling back in 2008 there have been homeless people living in it, even though it’s not a proper house.

In 2009 some angry welfare recipient had to be removed by the fire brigade from the roof, and last December someone wrote ‘waste of money’ on the roof, while in 2008 someone has written ‘a food bank would be better’.

The rotating house cost 348,000 euro, which apparently many people thought was an expensive use of tax payers’ money. It seems to me that since the artwork looks like an overpriced house (as in for 348,000 clams in Tilburg you’d get something bigger) has made it an easy target.

(Link: www.nieuws.nl, Photo: Stinkfinger Producties)

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November 11, 2010

Homeless turned millionaire gives it all away

Filed under: General,Weird by Orangemaster @ 12:50 pm

Once former homeless man Jerry Winkler recently found out his deceased dad was a millionaire and that he had access to an inheritance, he decided to help the homeless instead of cashing in. In exchange for a say in the foundation bearing his father’s name, Winkler has decided to not lay any claims to the inheritance of some 3.5 million euro. One of his first projects will be to organise a Sinterklaas party for homeless mothers and their kids.

(Link: zibb)

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November 4, 2010

Homeless man finds out his father was a millionaire

Filed under: General,Weird by Orangemaster @ 1:15 pm

A former homeless man, Jerry Winkler, 28, recently found out who his real father was: millionaire Alfred Winkler from Bussum who died back in 1992. Apparently, his mother had an affair with the millionaire. Unfortunately, Winkler cannotprobably cannot lay claim to any inheritance, but the foundation his father set up will see what they can do to help him out money wise.

(Link: zibb)

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September 28, 2008

Cardboard print duvet set

Filed under: Design by Branko Collin @ 10:06 am

These very lifelike quilt and pillow covers aren’t just stylish, they also help the homeless. Part of the proceeds of the Le Clochard set go to SZN, “the foundation for homeless young people in the Netherlands. The income is used to fund housing projects which prioritize supporting young people in finding work or continuing their education.” Depending on the size you pay between 50 and 80 euro per set.

Via BoingBoing.

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June 5, 2008

Homeless person moved together with “his” building

Filed under: Architecture,Weird by Branko Collin @ 12:45 pm

Last week a silo being moved to its final destination on the Ciboga terrain in the city of Groningen had a curious passenger, Blik op Nieuws reports (Dutch). A homeless man who had made the empty building from 1910 his home refused to leave it for the transport. The movers then decided to leave the man where he was and transport the building with him in it. The silo was put in its old location, except that it now has a parking garage underneath.

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May 13, 2007

High voltage drama in Tilburg

Filed under: Weird by Orangemaster @ 11:16 am
fireman

Might as well use the same picture as when two guys climbed up a hoist vehicle.

Yesterday, a 35-year-old homeless man in Tilburg freaked people out by climbing up a high voltage tower, up to 25 metres. According to the article, the man was confused (what does that mean, no one knows). Two police negotiators and a family member talked him down after a three hour sit up there. He got some crisis help after that. Understandable.

(Link: Omroep Brabant)

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