The Hague to move homeless people from nearby parks and hotels during NATO summit

Homeless people who are currently living in the parks near the NATO Summit in The Hague will be temporarily sheltered somewhere else in June. There is an emergency ordinance in the areas near the World Forum and the Huis ten Bosch during the summit. Only the people who are invited to the summit will be allowed to access the areas. “This also goes for homeless people who stay in the outdoor area near there,” the municipality of The Hague said on Wednesday.

The temporary shelter is in a former school and will be open for the homeless from June 13 to June 28. Homeless people had also been sheltered there last winter during the cold nights.

According to the municipality, there are around 30 to 40 homeless people in the Scheveningse Bosjes and the Haagse bos. These include migrants from other countries in the European Union, but also people without a valid residence permit.

Around 35 homeless families are currently staying in hotels. They will have to leave their room temporarily during the summit to make space for foreign guests. The families will be housed in other hotels in the region from June 19 to June 26. The municipality has said they will do all they can to ensure that the children can continue to go to school during this period.

Around 15 single homeless people are also staying in the hotels. They will be moved to a former hospital on the Sportlaan in The Hague during the summit. The municipality has said that this group is mainly "economically homeless people.” This term is used to describe people with a job and a social life who struggle to find a home due to the housing shortage. And because they do not suffer from addictions or behavioral problems, they are also not eligible for social assistance.

The NATO Summit begins in just over a month, on June 24 and June 25. Thousands of delegates will be traveling to The Hague for the summit, including 45 government leaders and heads of state, 45 foreign ministers, and 45 defense ministers.

There will also be an estimated 2,000 journalists in the city from around the world during the days in June.

To protect the official visitors of the summit, the Netherlands has launched its largest security operation ever. The police will deploy around 27,000 officers, which is almost half of its total staff.

The main road to the World Forum is completely closed from April to August. Several important roads in the Randstad will also be completely or partly closed. People are advised to work from home as much as possible during the summit.