On 30 June 2025, our colleague Hélène took part in the City Council of Liège to challenge the authorities on the worsening homelessness in their municipality. A city where housing solutions are far too scarce, where the modular housing project was hijacked and where concrete measures are still awaited. Social support services will also see their funding cut, and associations risk no longer receiving support from any level of government in Liège.
Here is her speech:
“Mr Mayor, ladies and gentlemen alderpersons, members of the city council,
On behalf of Street Nurses, and all those concerned by the issue of homelessness in Liège, thank you for the attention you are giving to this interpellation.
In 2020, following the count of people without a home, we knew that nearly 500 people were homeless in Liège. A figure that has undoubtedly risen sharply over five years. This year, the districts of Charleroi, Namur and Verviers underwent new counts. Data from Charleroi showed a 30% increase. We can expect the same reality check in Liège. Indeed, an estimated 20,000 people are without housing in Wallonia.
Homelessness takes its toll: the life expectancy of a homeless person is 48 years. But the street also kills. On 13 May, no fewer than thirty names were read at the Commemoration of the Street Dead in Liège, paying tribute to people who died on the street or as a result of street life over the past two years.
These staggering figures are witnessed by the citizens of Liège and experienced in our daily outreach work. Our teams, like others, constantly see new faces and struggle to keep up with and meet the needs.
Street Nurses’ clients are primarily very vulnerable homeless people: on the street for at least two years, isolated, suffering from chronic physical health problems, mental health issues and/or addictions. Through street outreach—focusing on hygiene and health—we support these people all the way to rehousing and beyond, i.e. social reintegration, also called “recovery.” This path is long, full of obstacles, marked by progress and setbacks that we prefer to see as steps rather than failures.
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For the people we follow, having a home of their own is often just an unreachable dream, which they feel unworthy of, and “well-being” and “security” have become foreign concepts.
The first—fundamental—step is to establish a relationship of trust. This is not easy, since our clients, given their life experiences, no longer grant it so easily: often disappointed, betrayed, abused or abandoned by people they cared about. Social workers, having seen so much, are weary of reliving their stories for help to “find the right path.” Discovering what truly moves and motivates them is essential for administrative and medical procedures to make sense.
“If one day I find a home where I can invite my children—whom I haven’t seen for years—I will gladly renew my ID card, re-register with the CPAS, open a bank account, update my health insurance, and take care of my health…”
Meanwhile, there is the housing challenge—or rather, the housing knot. How do we find a roof for people that no one wants? People heavily discriminated against because of the visible and invisible scars of street life, who cannot afford a one-bedroom flat at €700/month—both thrilled and anxious at the thought of housing again. We will need to be creative to convince both private and public landlords.
Despite the constraints, the Housing First model has rehoused 2,200 people in Belgium in 10 years. In Liège, Street Nurses supported around thirty housing placements in its six years of existence. It is a methodology that works and must be supported.
Fortunately, we can sometimes count on public support. Recently, the “Territoire Zéro Sans-Abri” (TZSA) project allowed us to assist these people. But we are worried: the new Walloon majority announced €50 million less for public housing in Wallonia, a €850 000 cut for social support services, and no extension of TZSA after November 2025—jeopardising vital projects and many jobs. Just for the TZSA’s termination, €34 million over two years will vanish from the Walloon associative sector.
At the same time, federal decisions will further pressure the CPAS, as we are already seeing. Then we learn that tax deductions for donors will be reduced, further weakening the associative sector that also relies on these funds.
How will we collectively absorb these effects when thousands already live in distress and affordable housing is already scarce?
The creation of modular housing around Liège for six people to leave the street was one of the solutions advocated by Street Nurses, supported by the Walloon Region under the TZSA call for projects. Alas, this project—as others—never came to fruition. At the April 2024 City Council, we learned, without any official information or prior consultation, that the €265 000 planned for the modules would be redirected to other projects.
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At the time, the Mayor reassured us: “The modular housing mechanism is not in question; the project is certainly not abandoned.” He added, “We will look for another site,” yet suggested it would be better outside Liège, rather than within the district, so “everyone can do their part.”
Yet the benefits of lightweight social housing are numerous: a quick, low-cost, movable solution accommodating diverse resident profiles and synergies with various services. Tenants enjoy low rent and charges, easy maintenance, and a setting suited for those seeking calm—or, as one client rehoused in Brussels said, seeking life “off the street” rather than “on the street.”
Contrary to stubborn prejudices, these are neither tents nor makeshift shelters but real homes offering privacy without isolation, security without confinement, and a pathway to reintegration. They even allow tenants to keep a pet when needed, often crucial for well-being.
Regarding those promised a module, Mr Demeyer publicly stated at the April council that “we will see, in partnership with Street Nurses, how to find solutions.” Ms Yerna, Alderman for Housing, spoke similarly in June. Today’s interpellation is the result of a year of fruitless attempts—six letters unanswered and multiple interpellations by your colleagues in the June and September City Councils.
Of course, the campaign and municipal elections kept you busy. Your party programme and Municipal Policy Declaration both express the determination to continue Housing First and initiatives like TZSA. Yet our letters of 26 November and 19 March (also sent by registered mail) remain dead letters.
Beyond what we may see as a lack of respect, we are perplexed by this deafening silence. What does this say about the priority you give to fighting homelessness? We have always approached you with constructive proposals—today is no different, because despite your lack of consideration, we never lose sight of our goal: to help shape the collective response to homelessness in the streets of Liège.
I will conclude by stressing the importance of decent and affordable housing—not only for homeless people. Street Nurses welcomes efforts to address vacant housing in Liège but, at the same time, we must tackle discrimination and expand the social housing stock.
Thank you in advance for your responses, which will help clarify the path forward and, hopefully, bring a glimmer of hope."
Contact
Street Nurses – Liège
Rue Saint-Léonard 117, 4000 Liège
liege@idr-sv.org