Since the Liège antenna of Street Nurses opened in 2019, the team has grown considerably. In its own professional and qualitative way, it is tackling the challenges of the Liège reality.
What are the issues, challenges and prospects in mid-2022? The colleagues tell us!
A strong team
The Liège branch of Street Nurses was founded in 2019. In May 2022, it celebrated its third anniversary! The team, which started out with two nurses at the time, now has seven employees: a project manager, three social workers, an educator and two nurses.
“We are also fortunate to be able to count on the support of our colleagues in Brussels, including Audrey, fieldwork coach, and Pierre, doctor, for a good follow-up of the patients,” says Céline, a nurse in the Liège Street Nurses antenna.
Intensive follow-up
Since its launch, the Liège team has included thirteen homeless people in its intensive follow-up.
Estelle, educator in Liège: “Of these thirteen people, we have rehoused nine, six of them still have a home. Two no longer use drugs, although they were poly-drug users. Unfortunately, we also had three deaths, and one person ended up back on the street. But we don't give up, and we pick up the trail again.”
The profiles are diverse: women and men between 30 and 69. Everyone has a different story.
Estelle: “We still have three patients on the street for whom we are trying to find solutions. Two of them are ready to enter a house or a structure, the last one is not so far, with him we are still working on the trust relationship.”
Difficulties in accessing housing
The housing sector in Liège is saturated, so the team has few opportunities to find accommodation that meets its criteria.
Nicolas, nurse, explains: “We are in contact with a housing searcher, but we also try to find housing on our own, i.e. through specialised websites. But that seems almost impossible, given the profile of our patients that does not reassure private owners.”
Impossible, you say? Not at all.
At Street Nurses, we don't believe in the impossible. Nicolas: “We haven't said our last word yet! We are about to hire a colleague as a ‘rental manager’. He will change our lives (well, we hope so!).”
The team also works actively with the Les Tournières real estate cooperative. As a matter of fact, our offices in Liège are located in one of their buildings!
The antenna is still very young, but is supported by an enthusiastic and motivated team, whose motto is “See you soon for new adventures!”