‘I am a sober farmer who speaks the language of the people’
Since the new Social Support Act, many people have less or no right to domestic help at all. Lawyer Kevin Wevers (27) handles these kinds of cases and has not lost one yet.
“I saw the problems in home help coming,” says Wevers. “Municipalities sometimes really mess it up. There is a lack of information or they ignore court decisions. That way it is easy for me to litigate.”
Since 2015, municipalities have been responsible for the care that people need at home. Due to cutbacks, they have a lower budget and not everyone receives the same support as before. Anyone who has less or no right to help at home can turn to a lawyer such as Kevin Wevers.
80 in a year
Despite his prediction, according to the lawyer, it is not the case that he saw the influx of customers coming. Eighty cases in the past year. And the requests keep pouring in. He opted for a wide range of cases to deal with: from social assistance rights to wrong purchases via the internet.
But during the second conversation with a customer, it became more clear to him about the Social Support Act and the problems in the municipality. “A lady told me that her mother suddenly no longer received home care,” Wevers continues. “That help was simply stopped. Then I dived into it and realized that a lot more people are dealing with this.”
The success explained
Why is his sole proprietorship doing so well? Wevers has a clear answer to that. “First of all, the price. I work with a subscription system: people pay a fixed amount per month. Self-employed people pay 25 and families 20, but the standard amount is 15 euros. That is payable on an annual basis. After one year, the subscription can be canceled monthly. Many people who want to call on my help have to live on an AOW benefit, they can’t afford to lose hundreds of euros.”
‘A sober farmer’
In addition, Wevers, in his own words, speaks the language of the people: “I am a sober farmer who says what it means. I don’t beat around the bush and don’t use political texts,” he claims. “That is appreciated by a lot of people, I think. I speak clear language and will always do my best to win every case.”
Unexpected presentation
On October 2, 2014 Kevin Wevers started his company ‘Jurist Wevers’. A month later it started to run smoothly. In his own words, he owes this mainly to an unexpected presentation. “I hated presentations, I really hated it. Someone from the FNV would give a presentation to employees of the municipality and social workers. That was canceled at the last minute, and whether I wanted to take over. I said hesitatingly. Yes, but afterwards I got all positive reactions. Apparently the story caught on. People wanted to know more.”
‘Active and involved’
The lawyer does not sit still in his office in Aalten. In his view, this also contributes to the influx of people who enlist his help. “I don’t just sit behind my desk doing paperwork. I’m a guest speaker, organize information evenings and regularly attend council meetings. You pick things up and show yourself to people. I think it’s important to be active and involved.”
Wevers handles cases in municipalities throughout the country. Sometimes he spends hours in the car for one conversation. “Being on the road takes a lot of time. Still, I don’t charge people for travel expenses, I don’t think that’s necessary. I also think it’s service to people.”
For more information about Kevin Wevers’ work, please visit his website.
