Through its crowdfunding campaign, Street Nurses wants to raise €45,000 for the construction of a “home module”, and believes that modular housing is an innovative solution that goes one step closer to ending homelessness.
Still have doubts? We give you 5 reasons to invest in this great project.
1. Modular housing is adapted to homeless patients
Since 2018, Street Nurses has been investing in modular housing, through its “Module Sweet Home” project. The modules are an innovative way to rehouse homeless people.
The tenants of the modules are a particularly vulnerable group. Life on the streets is particularly harsh and traumatic, and our patients have developed different coping mechanisms. Once rehoused, alone within four walls, psychological decompensation can occur, coupled for example by noisy behaviour or excessive consumption of alcohol or drugs. In a conventional flat, this causes problems for the neighbours.
The advantage of the home modules is that they are each installed at least 3 metres from each other. On the one hand, the distance promotes privacy and calm, and on the other hand, the vicinity can create good friendships between tenants. Everyone has their own space, but is not alone.
2. Modular housing is cheap
The average price per m2 of a flat in Brussels is €3,428. This drops to €2,222 for the cheapest. In comparison, the construction of a home module costs about €45,000 (situation August 2022; at the end of 2022, costs have mounted to €56,000), including installation. That works out at €1,730 per m2, or €500 less than the cheapest conventional flats!
In addition, the home modules comply with the passive standard to a maximum. This considerably reduces energy and water costs for the tenants.
Finally, each module is autonomous. The tenants do not have any common charges as they would have in a classic flat.
3. Modular housing is a quick answer to the housing shortage
It is no secret that in the Brussels-Capital Region, the demand for housing far exceeds the supply. In addition, the price of building materials has been rising in recent years. The construction period for new buildings is measured in years. This leads to a shortage of housing, which is all the more glaring when it comes to affordable housing.
Modular housing, on the other hand, is built in 6 weeks and quickly installed. A record time!
4. Modular housing is a housing solution in their own right
Modular housing is 26 m2 in size and is installed on temporarily or permanently available land. They are equipped with a shower, a toilet, a kitchenette and a living area. They are therefore connected to water and electricity. As a result, they meet the standards of a studio in Brussels.
5. Modular housing can prevent homelessness
The construction of home modules also has a preventive aspect. Indeed, for the moment, the figures on homelessness do not cover people who are in institutions: prison, detoxification, slight mental handicap, etc.
Many of these people, when they leave the institution, find themselves without housing. They then remain on the street for a few years... Before they are in such a vulnerable state that our teams at Street Nurses have to take them in.
Providing enough housing for their reintegration pathway means tackling homelessness upstream. In other words, it is a way of not "feeding the street".