Belgium/Poverty: finally a social relay in Walloon Brabant

It took years! But Walloon Brabant has finally set up a (inter-municipal) social relay, a structure for coordinating services to combat extreme poverty.

Unlike the provinces with large cities, Walloon Brabant has no large emergency shelters for the homeless. As a reminder, for some years now, the Walloon Region has imposed an approved night shelter on cities with at least 50,000 inhabitants, as well as the establishment of such an emergency shelter in each province. As Walloon Brabant does not have a large city, it is an exception and does not benefit from regional subsidies either, despite a very real and increasing precariousness.

In fact, the province has only small structures scattered throughout its territory. The means are limited and insufficient.

These structures are managed by associations, OCMWs, shelters and various services for people in very precarious situations, including the homeless. The supply is scattered and varies greatly from one municipality to another, and also from one provincial region to another. This lack of coordination will finally be resolved in the coming months.

Coordinating and strengthening the supply

After years of reflection, discussions and round tables with the players in the field, this network will be coordinated and will function better. Needs will be better assessed, so that a more adequate response can be provided."Until now, many homeless people have had to go as far as Namur, Brussels or Charleroi to find emergency accommodation", explains Carine Hermal, President of the CPAS of Wavre. "In addition to the help we give to people in difficulty, we can accommodate some people. Last year, we made some sort of containers available. We will repeat the operation. But we want structural solutions in the long term. Because we can't take in everyone.

"We are working with about thirty partners to move things forward," explains Maëlle Dewaele, who is in charge of the newly created Intercommunal Social Network of Walloon Brabant. "The Relais has taken the form of a non-profit organisation, housed in the premises of the CPAS in Wavre, which supports us, as does the Province (for equipment). We want to have a more global vision of the situation on the ground. Because there are no figures on the number of homeless people in Walloon Brabant. The problem is less visible. But it exists! We also want to pool resources, exchange ideas with the various actors concerned, inform them and improve the coordination of existing aid.

The provision of emergency accommodation for the homeless should be gradually improved during 2022. The Social Relay is supported by the Walloon Region, the province and local partners.

Source: www.rtbf.be