Thomashuis

Thomashuis is a Dutch care concept and brand name for small-scale residential facilities for adults with intellectual disabilities. It is operated as a franchise formula by the company De Drie Notenboomen. Each Thomashuis is an independent franchise business run by two live-in care entrepreneurs — usually a married or cohabiting couple with a professional background in disability care — who live in the house together with up to nine adult residents. The model is deliberately domestic: residents and caregivers share daily life as in a large family, with short communication lines and personal attention for each individual. Residents are encouraged to make their own choices and can furnish their own rooms. The network was founded in 2001 by Hans van Putten, who himself had a son with an intellectual disability named Thomas, after whom the concept is named. Thomas died in 2006. Dissatisfied with the accommodation offered by large care institutions, Van Putten developed the Thomashuis concept as an alternative rooted in ordinary community life. The homes are located in the middle of society, based on the idea that everyone belongs. By the 2020s the formula had grown to 119 Thomashuizen in the Netherlands and several locations in Belgium. The official website states there are 119 locations across the country and four locations in Belgium, while Dutch Wikipedia reported 119 in the Netherlands and three in Belgium in 2024. Each house operates under the guidelines and quality standards of Thomashuizen Nederland, with quality measured annually by an independent research agency. In 2015 the formula received the NFV Franchise Trofee from the Nederlandse Franchise Vereniging. Thomashuis positions itself as a warm, safe and personal alternative to institutional care, combining a franchise business model with a family-like living arrangement. The brand is active in the Netherlands and Belgium and is owned by De Drie Notenboomen.

The Thomashuis concept was created in 2001 by Hans van Putten, who had a son with an intellectual disability named Thomas. Dissatisfied with the accommodation options offered by large care institutions for people with intellectual disabilities, Van Putten devised an alternative: small-scale homes in which a caregiving couple lives together with a small group of residents as in a family. The concept was named after his son Thomas, who died in 2006. The formula is a brand name and concept of the franchise company De Drie Notenboomen. Each Thomashuis is an independent franchise business run by two live-in care entrepreneurs, usually a married or cohabiting couple with a professional background in disability care. They live in the house and manage their own team of staff, allowing them to respond directly and flexibly to residents' care needs. Homes accommodate a maximum of nine adults with intellectual disabilities and are located in the middle of society. The network grew steadily through the 2000s and 2010s. Quality is governed by the guidelines and quality requirements of Thomashuizen Nederland, with annual measurement by an independent research agency. On 28 May 2015 the Thomashuizen formula was awarded the NFV Franchise Trofee 2015, an annual professional award presented by the Nederlandse Franchise Vereniging (NFV). By the 2020s the formula had expanded beyond the Netherlands into Belgium. The official website states there are 119 Thomashuizen across the Netherlands and four locations in Belgium, while Dutch Wikipedia reported 119 in the Netherlands and three in Belgium in 2024. The brand continues to operate as a franchise network of small-scale residential care homes.

• 2024

  Dutch Wikipedia reports 119 Thomashuizen in the Netherlands and 3 in Belgium.

• 2015

  On 28 May, the Thomashuizen formula receives the NFV Franchise Trofee 2015 from the Nederlandse Franchise Vereniging.

• 2006

  Thomas, the son of founder Hans van Putten and namesake of the concept, dies.

• 2001

  Thomashuis concept founded by Hans van Putten.

Warm, safe and personal small-scale residential care as an alternative to large institutions, delivered through a franchise model in which care entrepreneurs live with residents.

• Thomashuis residential home

  A small-scale home for up to nine adults with intellectual disabilities, run by two live-in care entrepreneurs.

1. 1Thomashuis official websitethomashuis.nl
2. 2Thomashuis — Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Thomashuis — Dutch Wikipedianl.wikipedia.org