Community centre at Science Park is at risk of closing in four months

Less than a month ago, the residents’ association officially opened its new community centre at Utrecht Science Park."Keep up the good work, this is important," people told students and organisers on several occasions. Now, the municipal grant of several hundred thousand euros, which they were expecting to get over a four-year period, will not be forthcoming.

No money
The residents’ association had devised a plan to combat loneliness and lack of social cohesion at Science Park. Over the next four years, someone would be present at the community centre almost all the time to help students and have a chat with them. These positions were opened this week, and no one doubted that the funding would materialise. After all, their relations with the local council were warm and friendly, and the feedback they got about the initiative had been nothing but positive.

On Tuesday, a letter arrived stating that the municipal council would not be allocating any funds for these students' salaries. The project was not awarded a Sociale Basis grant, forcing the association to find another way to pay its community liaisons over the next four years.

The WCU Residents’ Foundation (pronounced "We See You") comprises representatives from various official residents’ associations and aims to promote social cohesion amongst residents of Utrecht Science Park. It is in touch with HU, UU, SSH and the municipal council. It relies on funding from the municipality to organise activities and, in turn, to pay its own neighbourhood liaisons in the future. It is supported by two project leaders: Marco van Stralen (HU lecturer) and Noor Scheltema (process manager).

Completely unexpected
"It was a huge blow. We were left speechless," says Silke van der Horst, chair of the residents’ association. "It feels like a slap in the face." Treasurer Anouk van Vliet also says: "I feel desperate, thrown back into the mud. I cried when I heard the news on Tuesday evening."

"We were trampled on by councillors and politicians who were all talk about resident participation and tackling problems in our neighbourhood," says Silke. "For example, Councillor Eva Oosters was present at the inauguration and on Neighbours’ Day. She encouraged us and complimented our initiative. Now that we’re not getting the grant, we’ll have to close our doors as early as December or January." Van Vliet adds: "We haven’t received a single word of sympathy from anyone this week, just that cold letter."

"Everyone told us, 'This is necessary', 'Yes, you have to do this',"  says Marco van Stralen. The HU lecturer and project coordinator drafted the grant application. "People from the Oost neighbourhood office, councillors, politicians – everyone was excited about this." 

"It’s so strange," agrees Ray Polman, chair of BoKS, an advocacy group for SSH tenants. "At every stage, we felt the council was behind us. That’s why it came as such a huge surprise that we didn’t get that grant after all."

In a council letter dated Tuesday, 30 June, the municipal council announced which social initiatives will be funded over the next four years. Each year, 15.2 million euros is allocated to initiatives that contribute to "a strong social foundation". However, demand exceeds the available budget: of the 117 applicants, only 63 will receive a grant. The remaining 54 organisations will not be awarded anything, even if they have previously received funding from the council.

Enough money for four months
Can the neighbourhood connectors not manage without that funding? The treasurer doesn’t think so: "I’ve no idea how else we’re supposed to pay them. Wijk Oost voor Elkaar gets funding. Should we approach them? They’re an established group of older people. We’re new, young and don’t yet have such a well-oiled machine. It feels as though our share is included in that, but we’re not sure."

Van Stralen: "This is a real shame, because as things stand at the moment, this process of resident participation will come to an end in December. There’s still funding for four months."

Asked whether they could find people willing to do this on a voluntary basis, the treasurer is pessimistic: "We already rely heavily on volunteers. To ensure continuity and professionalism, we need those paid students working four times twenty hours a week."

Polman is also disheartened: "We have plenty of plans ready to make this a nicer neighbourhood, but without funding we can’t put them into practice."

If the grant was so essential to the Buurthuys, shouldn’t they have applied for it before opening the community centre? The chairperson: "We were actually encouraged by the local council. We didn’t just come up with a random plan; we’ve shown that we’re serious."

Protecting vulnerable people
Why didn't they get the grant? Until now, the council has been unable to answer this question. However, in a general statement to Duic on Tuesday, they issued the following response: "We realise that this may have far-reaching consequences, but a rejection does not mean that an activity must automatically cease. The council promises to sit down with the organisations concerned to discuss the options and a possible alternative proposal."

"A grant application can be rejected for a number of reasons. There may be a minor error in the application, or the amount requested may be too high."

HU lecturer Maartje Vermeulen served on the municipal council for four years and put the Buurthuys on the agenda herself. "At the time, the motion calling for that community centre to be established was passed unanimously."

Vermeulen: "The council has had to make significant cutbacks over the past three years due to previous administrations. They are trying to spare the most vulnerable people and are facing high costs for youth care and domestic support."

Crucial for the quality of life at USP
"I understand that the council has to make choices, and that funds aren’t an endless pot," says Marco van Stralen. "What I don't understand is how come there is no money available right now for this specific target group when people have talked so much about their loneliness, mental resilience and apathy towards democracy in recent years. Considering this, I think it’s very unwise to nip such an initiative in the bud."

Van Stralen sees the paid neighbourhood connectors as crucial to making the campus a liveable place: "In recent years, we’ve seen that it was difficult for social workers to gain access to those blocks of flats. The gap between them and the residents’ everyday lives is too wide. That is why it is such a shame if the team of neighbourhood liaisons – made up of residents themselves – cannot continue to act as the link between numerous care organisations, GPs, the local council and the concerns of many residents. This allows for better, more effective, and cheaper action when something is troubling someone. That was precisely the purpose of this initiative. A solid network had actually been established."

Jan Henk van der Velden, the outgoing director of the Science Park Foundation, received the letter on his last day at work. When asked, he stated that he did not wish to comment on the matter as he is no longer in post. Interim director Jasper van Aalst said in an email: "This issue continues to require ongoing attention and support. We therefore expect to find a solution or alternative options together."

Who is going to pay now?
None of those involved is happy about the Buurthuys closing down. "The Science Park is one of the neighbourhoods where residents’ mental health is the worst," says Polman. "This is partly because there are no facilities open in the evenings, such as restaurants or pubs. As a result, students live anonymously and in isolation from one another. Over the past two years, we have worked closely with HU University of Applied Sciences, the university and the local council to change this. Our crowning achievement so far is the Buurthuys. A place where residents can meet one another, to combat that loneliness."

According to Maartje Vermeulen, other parties could dig a little deeper into their pockets: ‘The university has funded the Buurthuys. I think the SSH and Utrecht University of Applied Sciences could contribute more."

"We need to regroup, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do," says treasurer Anouk. Van der Horst isn’t letting it get her down either. "The news is only two days old, so we’re still thinking it through. In any case, we want to talk to the councillor and take action in August or September.’

The following people also contributed to this Trajectum story: Wessel Schuller and Sander Van de Pol