Het HEM maintains close ties with the local community and supports it wherever possible. In response to the question from young creatives from Zaandam for more spaces for talent development, Het HEM therefore initiated the Homebase programme in 2020, together with rapper Ella John and other makers from her network. Homebase connects the worlds of makers from Zaandam and beyond with works and artists linked to Het HEM. As an artist from Zaandam, Ella John noticed that there are many initiatives for young creatives and entrepreneurs in Amsterdam regions and therefore, together with Het HEM and the local community in her own neighbourhood, she started Homebase. She is also the founder of CNCPT, a Zaandam-based creative agency that facilitated the scouting and bringing together of local talent for Homebase.
With this initiative, Het HEM provides an inspiring environment for artistic research and encourages collaboration between different generations. Through self-organised activities and programmes, Homebase provides a literal space for connection and discovery, inspiration, and creation, specially designed for early-career creators. The community follows Het HEM’s principle of "learning by doing". Homebase participants map out their own learning trajectories, and in doing so, they may draw on the guidance and expertise of Het HEM's team. In this learning process, they simultaneously bring new perspectives to Het HEM and its audience – voices that might otherwise go unheard.
In 2021, Homebase organised six "Get Togethers", brainstorming sessions to explore potential projects they could set up collectively from Homebase. Among other things, this resulted in a visual podcast series of four episodes: conversations between Homebase participants and experts from the creative industry from whom they want to learn about topics such as social media, public relations, project management and personal growth. The members also organised two editions of Homebase Connects, in collaboration with Live At The BBQ, a music showcase by the Homebase participants.
In 2022, the Homebase Music Talent Programme was established: a talent development programme for and by female and gender-nonconforming music talent aimed at building a strong network in which they learn to stay on their own path in an industry run predominantly by men.
When Het HEM reopens in 2024, there will be a permanent creative workspace for Homebase participants, and they will be able to use the music studio in the basement.
