What Stichting Barka does

Stichting Barka is a Dutch non-profit foundation established in 2012 as a daughter organization of Poland's Barka Foundation (which was founded in 1989 by psychologists Tomasz and Barbara Sadowski). Headquartered at Lijsterstraat 16 in Utrecht, the organization supports homeless and vulnerable EU citizens in the Netherlands, primarily migrants from Central and Eastern Europe (Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary) who arrived for work but face housing loss, unemployment, addiction, mental health issues, or social exclusion. In 2024 it reached 6,238 unique individuals through outreach, placed 923 in employment, and supported 1,284 returns to country of origin.

Service delivery combines three programs: Support and Information Centers (fixed locations in Utrecht, The Hague, and Eindhoven providing multilingual social, legal, and administrative support), the Reconnection Program (labor market reintegration in the Netherlands or dignified return to country of origin), and Knowledge Partner Services (advisory and research support for policymakers and care providers). The operating model is distinctive: every street and mobile team pairs a professional social worker with a "leader" — a peer expert who has personally experienced homelessness and addiction. Mobile national teams operate in Polish, Romanian, Hungarian, and Bulgarian, extending reach to 20+ Dutch cities plus Antwerp, Belgium.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded. Revenue streams are charitable contributions from individuals and foundations (including the Fred Foundation) and government grants and partnerships with municipalities, ministries, and healthcare institutions. All services are provided free of charge. Key institutional partners include Leger des Heils (Shelter 070 in The Hague), Dokters van de Wereld and WeZijnTransvaal (preventive healthcare for vulnerable EU women), Juridisch Loket (legal aid referrals), SNCU (labour rights for temporary workers), Gemeente Den Haag, the Polish Embassy, and Belgian federal agency Fedasil (cross-border return-program replication). The organization holds high-credibility recognitions including the EAPN 2013 Award and the European Parliament's European Citizen's Prize.

Name

Stichting Barka

Legal name

Stichting Barka

Website

https://barkanl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Stichting Barka is a Dutch non-profit foundation supporting homeless and vulnerable EU citizens — primarily Central and Eastern European labour migrants — through street outreach, multilingual support centers, and reintegration or return-to-origin programs delivered via teams pairing professional social workers with peer experts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services / Homeless Support for EU Migrants

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Individual and Family Services (6241), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC), Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

Keywords

• Homeless outreach services
• Social reintegration support
• Peer support programs
• Migrant assistance services
• Addiction recovery support

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation relies on donations from individuals, foundations (such as Fred Foundation), and organizations to fund operations.
2. Government Grants and Partnerships: Collaborations with municipalities, ministries, and public institutions for specific programs and shelter operations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stichting Barka provides free, multilingual social, legal, and administrative support to homeless and vulnerable EU citizens in the Netherlands through Support and Information Centers, fixed and mobile street outreach teams, and a Reconnection program for labor-market reintegration or dignified return to country of origin. Services include RNI/BRP registration, BSN and DigiD applications, benefits applications, job search support, legal aid, psychological support, healthcare referrals, addiction treatment, and shelter mediation. The model pairs professional social workers with peer "leaders" who have personal experience of homelessness and addiction.

Product overview

Stichting Barka is a social welfare organization (not a technology company) offering a suite of services for homeless and vulnerable EU citizens, primarily from Central and Eastern Europe. The core offerings consist of Support and Information Centers (providing multilingual social, legal, and administrative support), the Reconnection Program (labor market reintegration or return to country of origin), and Knowledge Partner Services (expertise sharing with policymakers and researchers). These are delivered through mobile and fixed street teams combining professional social workers with peer experts ('leaders') who have lived experience of homelessness and addiction. The organization operates physical locations in Utrecht, Eindhoven, and The Hague, and collaborates with municipalities, healthcare organizations, and shelter facilities across the Netherlands. No technology product or software platform is offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Support and Information Centers Physical centers in Utrecht, Eindhoven, and The Hague providing social, legal, and administrative support in housing, work, and well-being for vulnerable EU citizens. Services are delivered in multiple languages including Polish, Romanian, Bulgarian, and Hungarian.
• Reconnection Program Program supporting vulnerable and homeless EU citizens with complex issues such as unemployment, addiction, and mental health problems. Includes reintegration into the Dutch labor market or supported reconnection with country of origin through the Barka Foundation community network in Poland for those without future prospects in the Netherlands.
• Knowledge Partner Services Expertise-sharing service for policymakers, researchers, and care providers to help homeless EU citizens effectively and combat addiction and social exclusion. Includes policy and strategy development, research support, intervention design, and partnership facilitation.
• Mobile and Fixed Street Teams Fixed and mobile teams deployed across the Netherlands, each consisting of a social worker and a 'leader' (peer expert with lived experience of homelessness and addiction). They provide accessible, personal support in clients' own language on streets, at train stations, in parks, and at shelters.
• Shelter 070 Short-term night shelter in The Hague for homeless individuals, providing temporary accommodation for up to three weeks as a step toward follow-up care, work, housing, or return to home country. Operated in partnership with Leger des Heils and the municipality of The Hague.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,238 unique individuals spoken to in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Leger des Heils (Salvation Army)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2026Collaboration on Shelter 070, a night shelter in The Hague for homeless individuals. Partnership with municipality Den Haag and multidisciplinary team from regular care.
• Ministries, Municipalities, Healthcare Organizations, and FoundationscoreOthersBarka collaborates with many different partner organizations including ministries, municipalities, healthcare and welfare institutions, and other stakeholders involved in issues of homelessness, addiction, and social exclusion.
• WeZijnTransvaalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for preventive healthcare actions targeting vulnerable EU women, collaborating with Dokters van de Wereld on cancer screening and HPV tests.
• Dokters van de Wereld (Doctors of the World)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint actions on preventive healthcare for vulnerable European women, providing cancer screening and HPV tests for uninsured women.
• Gemeente Den Haag (Municipality of The Hague)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Shelter 070 short-term EU shelter and various initiatives for homeless EU citizens.
• Juridisch Loket (Legal Aid Desk)supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerReferral partner for providing legal aid to EU citizens in disputes with employers, social security law, or residency law matters.
• Stichting Naleving CAO voor Uitzendkrachten (SNCU)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for informing foreign temporary workers about their rights and compliance with collective labor agreements.
• FedasilsupportingOthersBelgian federal agency exploring expansion of Barka's return program model to other cities. Conducted study visits to Barka network in Poland.
• Daklozenopvang Kruispunt (Arnhem)supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBarka team present every Thursday morning at Kruispunt shelter in Arnhem to help homeless Eastern Europeans return to their home country.
• Polish EmbassysupportingOthersPolish Embassy enables free psychological support for vulnerable Polish citizens through Barka support centers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Leger des Heils (Salvation Army Netherlands): Leger des Heils is the largest specialised homeless-services provider in the Netherlands, operating shelters, day centres and reintegration programs across Dutch cities. It directly partners with Barka on Shelter 070 in The Hague, but its broader portfolio and national scale make it the closest operational peer to Stichting Barka.
• HVO-Querido: HVO-Querido is a major Amsterdam-based social services organisation focused on homelessness, housing support, and reintegration for vulnerable adults. It serves a broadly overlapping client base (homeless individuals, including non-Dutch speakers) using comparable outreach, shelter and case-management models.
• De Regenboog Groep (Per Mens): De Regenboog Groep / Per Mens operates day centres, night shelters and outreach teams for people experiencing homelessness and addiction in Amsterdam and surrounding regions. It addresses the same client population (homeless adults, including those with addiction) using similar street outreach and shelter models in the same Dutch cities where Barka NL operates.
• Stichting INLIA: INLIA is a Dutch foundation specifically supporting migrants in irregular situations with shelter, legal aid and return assistance. Its combination of shelter, legal-referral partnerships and return-to-country programming makes it one of the most direct functional peers to Stichting Barka.
• Dokters van de Wereld (Doctors of the World Netherlands): Dokters van de Wereld provides preventive and primary healthcare to uninsured and excluded people in the Netherlands, including a current partnership with Barka on cancer screening and HPV testing for vulnerable EU women. The undocumented/excluded-population focus and street-based outreach model closely overlap with Barka's service logic.

Broad incumbents

• Caritas Nederland: Caritas Nederland is the umbrella welfare organisation of Catholic-inspired charities, supporting people in poverty, homelessness and migration across the Netherlands. It overlaps with Barka's mission on housing and social support but operates as a federated, multi-programme incumbent rather than an EE-migrant specialist.
• Rode Kruis (Netherlands Red Cross): Het Rode Kruis is a major Dutch humanitarian organisation offering shelter, crisis response and support for vulnerable groups including migrants and homeless individuals. It is a broader incumbent whose crisis-relief and emergency-shelter work overlaps with parts of Barka's service offering.
• Stichting Cordaan: Cordaan is a large Amsterdam-based healthcare and social services provider covering elderly care, mental health, and support for people experiencing homelessness or marginalisation. It represents a broader incumbent that offers overlapping services to vulnerable populations but across a much wider portfolio.

Emerging players

• VluchtelingenWerk Nederland: VluchtelingenWerk is the main Dutch organisation supporting asylum seekers and refugees with legal status and integration. It addresses an overlapping but legally distinct population (third-country nationals rather than EU migrants) and operates similar intake, advice and advocacy services for vulnerable foreign-origin clients.

Others

• FEANTSA: FEANTSA is the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless, of which Barka-aligned entities are within the constituency. It does not deliver direct services but plays the policy, research and ETHOS-standardisation role that mirrors Stichting Barka's Knowledge Partner function in the Netherlands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Stichting-Barka-100064738026583
• Instagraminstagram.com/barkanl
• Xx.com/barkanl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stichting-barka

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Stichting Barka