Blood, feces on the stairs, broken windows: Students feel unsafe in Tilburg flat

The residents of the TalentSquare student flat in Tilburg feel increasingly unsafe in their homes. According to them, homeless people have been sleeping in their hallways for at least two years, often leaving feces, trash, and sometimes even blood behind. The students have asked for more security, but so far, to no avail, Omroep Brabant reports.

“The nuisance is enormous,” Olav Stol, who lives in the building and is a member of the housing board, said to the broadcaster. The trail of blood in the elevator and corridors are the worst I’ve seen. And a window was smashed this weekend. It was just replaced, but that new window is already damaged again.”

Homeless people using the corridors for shelter also harass the students living in the building, Stol said. “They sleep in the stairwells every week.” Many residents are scared to go outside at night.

“It’s super scary,” one resident, who asked to remain anonymous, told the broadcaster.” They chase you, try to get in, or stand in front of your window and look inside.”

Another student avoids the stars. She doesn’t feel unsafe but does find the incidents annoying. “I wanted to go inside and saw a woman waiting at the door. She tried to go in after me. I told her the building was for residents only and that she had to open the door with her own key. She didn’t have one.”

Housing corporation SSH told Omroep Brabant that these problems have been going on for some time. The corporation is working with community police officers and homeless shelters to find a solution.

Several students said they’ve asked SHH for extra security. “But then we are told by the SHH that we either have to arrange that ourselves or that our rent will increase to cover it,” Stol said. “At the moment, someone from security comes once a night. They could increase that to three times, but that won’t happen. More money is needed for that.”