Amsterdam is repatriating more homeless people addicted to crack

Over the past five years, Amsterdam has repatriated an increasing number of homeless people, including many who are addicted to crack. Last year, the welfare organizations Regengoog Groep and Per Mens repatriated a total of 532 people, including several dozen crack addicts. Most went home to Eastern European countries, Parool reports.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema announced last week that she would investigate whether foreign homeless crack users can be repatriated more often, due to crack users causing more problems on the Amsterdam streets. The city is still exploring concrete options for more repatriation, a spokesperson for Mayor Halsema told Parool.

Such repatriations have happened for years and have been increasing in recent years. The repatriations typically happen voluntarily. EU citizens cannot be forced out of an EU country unless they commit a crime.

The Regenboog Groep is one of the organizations involved in the repatriation of foreign homeless people. Last year, the organization repatriated 313 homeless people, primarily men aged 30 to 50, from Poland, Romania, Germany, or Hungary. Approximately 40 people in this group were addicted to crack. The number of repatriations is increasing. In 2021, the Regenboog Groep repatriated 168 people.

Homeless people addicted to crack form the “biggest challenge,” Regeboog Groep social worker Michael Sprokkereef told Parool. “They often became addicted to crack here. Crack is good and cheap. They come to Amsterdam primarily because the city, with all its tourists, provides income. They beg, hustle, and collect empty cans for the deposit. In a remote corner of Poland, things aren’t as easy.”

Many aren’t eager to return home. “You have to motivate them to accept our offer. That means convincing them and enticing them by offering a good alternative. We have Polish and Hungarian colleagues who speak to them, sometimes sternly, in their own language and are very familiar with the prospects and shelters in their countries.”

Welfare organization Per Mens repatriated 215 people last year, up from 44 in 2021. Per Mens fieldworker Mohamed Bakayan told Parool that 90 percent come from Central and Eastern Europe. "But recently, we've also seen homeless people from the Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia,” he said. “We tell them the honest story. They came for a good life, couldn’t find work or lost it, and no longer have a home. They have no prospects here. We strongly advise them to get their lives back on track in their own country.”