Since April 2020 some 40 homeless people live in The Passage, the women's wing of the former Overmaze prison in Maastricht, completely furnished by IKEA. This furniture store helped the Salvation Army to furnish the former cells, dining room and living room. The move was necessary because the previous location of the Salvation Army no longer complied with the government's corona measures. There people slept in bunk beds in a dormitory with twenty others.

Initially there is resistance among the residents against the move. Not so much because they are going to live in a prison. This is familiar territory for some. The reason is that they find it difficult to let go of the familiar environment, on the edge of the city center. But the residents soon find peace with their new home. Private rooms allow for more privacy and less social control. For the first time, residents can furnish their bedroom with personal items.

In the summer of 2020, I made a portrait of the residents in their new environment. By being there as often as possible and merging into the group, I slowly gained their trust. The residents told me their life story and shared their experiences about their life in their new home.