The story of Mohamed and Joost Doevendans’ group of friends
Mo spent two years living in a tent in Flevopark. Joost’s group of friends found him a flat in Amsterdam East within a week, and Mo qualified as a sports teacher.
Mohamed, 36, was born and raised in Amsterdam, to Moroccan parents, with one older sister. Mo is a big sports fan, enterprising and sometimes a little shy.
After a happy childhood of friends, football and a vocational diploma, he ended up on the street when he and the girlfriend he lived with split up. Shame, among other things, kept him living in a tent in Flevopark for two years before he asked for help. The constant search for somewhere to live in Amsterdam brought a lot of unrest and stress, and without a stable base it was hard to find work.
This year, with help from De Regenboog Groep, he qualified as a sports teacher at the Johan Cruyff Academy. Through the City of Amsterdam he now spends three days a week on placement at primary schools across the city, teaching PE. He is growing enormously!
De Regenboog Groep also found him a place in a short-stay hotel, which he had to leave on 20 December 2021. The search, and the stress that came with it, began all over again.
Luckily, at the end of November the Homies Foundation matched Mohamed with Joost Doevendans’ group of friends. The lads know each other from hotel school in Amsterdam, are between 28 and 32, and gladly formed a collective to help a fellow Amsterdammer.
Through their network they secured a property-guardian flat within a week, in Amsterdam East, the part of town Mohamed loves. Less than a week later he stood beaming in his own living room with the keys in his hand. After more than five years without a home of his own, he grabbed the chance with both hands and has been there every day since, doing the place up. With help from all sides the flat is now furnished, and he moves in next week. His drive and gratitude are huge, and they are contagious.
Mo is standing strong and can now keep building a stable base with his new Homies. If you have connections in sport, or can help in another way, we would love to hear from you.
Mo is back on track. He has qualified as a sports teacher at the Johan Cruyff Academy!
