In Breda, De Herberg is known as a place where everyone is welcome. A warm walk-in center for people without a place to go, and a safe living environment for twelve homeless young people between the ages of 18 and 27. During our visit, we immediately feel why this place is so special: De Herberg radiates calm, humanity, and compassion in everything, thanks in part to director Hanneke van Herwijnen, who welcomes us with open arms and shows us around.
Stepping into a place that truly feels like home
From the moment we walk in, one thing stands out: De Herberg truly feels like a home. Not an institution, not a cold shelter, but a place with rooms, cupboards, washing machines, a kitchen, and a garden where people can meet each other.
Director Hanneke van Herwijnen shows us the bedrooms, the bathrooms that the young residents clean themselves, and the space where they do their own laundry.
“Here, they can really feel at home for a while,” Hanneke says. “They can work in the garden, cook together, and just take a moment to breathe. None of that was possible at the previous location.”
The atmosphere is homely: warm, lively, and sincere. A place where people can be who they are—without judgment, without pressure.
De Herberg as a walk-in center: everyone is welcome
In addition to the living spaces for young people, De Herberg is also a walk-in center where homeless people can come every day. For coffee, a meal, a warm shower, a conversation, or simply a moment indoors.
The walk-in is open five days a week. At the large tables in the living room, people join for food, a chat, or just some peace. Hanneke emphasizes: “It has to be a place where you can simply be. Low-threshold and warm.”
Homeless youth: a forgotten group with urgent needs
For the twelve young people who live here, De Herberg is a rare opportunity. Many of them come from unsafe home situations, have been couch-surfing, or previously slept at train stations. Others come from unstable care trajectories, problematic families, or even directly from detention.
Hanneke sees it daily: young people who have nowhere to go and feel completely alone. At De Herberg, they receive exactly what they lack: stability, guidance, and a place that feels like home.
From soup bus to safe haven
Hanneke explains how her work at De Herberg began with something very simple: handing out soup. The soup bus drove through the city to bring a warm bowl of soup to people living outside. But soon Hanneke felt that this wasn’t enough.
“I felt I could mean more than just that bowl of soup,” she says. “People need peace. A place where they are allowed to be.”
What started with that one soup bus gradually grew into what De Herberg is today: a daily walk-in center, outreach work that actively seeks out people, and multiple housing projects where people can stay for longer periods of time.
It’s remarkable how much impact one wish—to create a place where people feel safe—can have when someone dedicates themselves fully to it.
Homelessness has many faces
In the walk-in area, we see men, women, young people, and adults. Dutch citizens, Polish migrant workers, people from difficult families, people who suddenly lost their housing after years of working—the diversity is vast.
“Homelessness is as diverse as society itself,” Hanneke says. “It’s not the stereotype. It can happen to any of us.”
A Sheltersuit as a last resort
Sometimes there’s no room available in the housing projects. Then referrals must be made, or temporary protection is the only option.
Hanneke tells us about a 21-year-old girl who, after three nights at the train station, desperately sought help. “She came in with only a backpack and asked: Can someone help me? We had no bed available. So we gave her a Sheltersuit and arranged a hotel for her.” She was exhausted and entirely alone.
A Sheltersuit does not solve homelessness, but it does provide immediate protection and dignity in moments when someone truly has nowhere else to go.
Where warmth begins
De Herberg shows what can happen when people are not abandoned, but welcomed. An open door. A listening ear. A safe bedroom. These are small gestures that make a world of difference.
But organizations like De Herberg cannot do it alone. Every day, people sleep outside in Breda and beyond. The need is great, and help is urgently needed.
Would you like to help bring warmth where it’s needed most?
Donate a Sheltersuit or Shelterbag today. Give someone protection, dignity, and a bit of peace. Together, we make a difference.
