Rotterdam city council is opening a special shelter for homeless EU nationals in an effort to end problems they are causing in parts of the port city while sleeping rough. 

Some of the group, thought to number around 30, came to the Netherlands to work but found themselves without a place to live when their contract ended. 

The group sleep in doorways, use drugs in public and without access to toilets, “do their business” in public spaces, Rotterdam city council said in a press statement.

“I’ve been sent photos and videos of the problems and they are excruciating,” city public welfare chief Ronald Buijt said. “I want it to stop”. 

The programme aims to help mainly Eastern Europeans who are living on the streets to get their lives back on track. For example, those with addiction problems will get help with giving up drugs or alcohol and getting back into work.

They will be able to stay at the shelter for six to eight weeks. 

“If you keep causing problems, we will start proceedings to send you back to your country of origin,” Buijt said. “I want to make it clear that there is no room in Rotterdam for people who are a public nuisance.” 

EU nationals are excluded from regular homeless shelters but can make use of emergency ones when the temperature drops. 

Homeless charities said in January that growing numbers of workers from Poland and other countries are ending up living on the streets when their work dries up.

Stichting Barka, which works with vulnerable migrants in 16 municipalities, said it helped 5,000 people in 2022, of whom 3,000 were registered homeless.

The Regenboog Groep in Amsterdam has also said it was aware of 1,900 homeless EU citizens living in the capital. “And many more are not on our radar,” a spokesman told the Telegraaf.