News

For Street Nurses, homelessness in Belgium is not only about housing. The link between precarity and mental health often shapes whether recovery is possible. This account focuses on mental health among homeless people and what steady, street-based support can change over time

On 23 March 2025, we lost our dear colleague Pierre Ryckmans, doctor and medical coordinator.

One year later, his absence is still deeply felt. It leaves a void within the teams, in our habits and in our daily connections. But this absence coexists with something that remains very present: what he passed on, and what continues to live on in our work.

At Street Nurses, we support homeless people towards sustainable housing. But to remain in housing, having a roof over one’s head is not enough: people also need to be able to cope with the trauma, mental health disorders and exhaustion caused by life on the streets. Today, a large proportion of our patients are affected by mental health problems, and access to care is often difficult.

In 2025, thanks to your support, Street Nurses was able to continue its mission to end homelessness in Brussels and Liège. Behind every support process, every stabilised pathway and every person regaining a sustainable future, there is essential outreach work carried out daily by our teams. Your commitment enables us to stay the course and continue developing concrete solutions to homelessness.

At the end of May 2026, Julien will connect Liège to Brussels by running and walking, then immediately take on the 20 km of Brussels. One clear goal: raise €100,000 to support the fight against homelessness together with Street Nurses.

20 years! It doesn’t make me any younger… and at the same time, it brings back everything we have built together.

20 years of presence in the field, of consistency and humanity.
20 years that made it possible, among other things, for 230 people to leave the street, for hundreds of professionals to be trained, and for around 200 colleagues and dozens of volunteers to join us – and to build friendships, and sometimes more.

Since 1 January, the reform of unemployment benefits has become a reality for tens of thousands of people in Belgium. Presented as a response to budgetary constraints, it profoundly alters the balance of social protection. By limiting in time a right that served as an essential safety net, the difficulties linked to unemployment do not disappear: they are shifted elsewhere. This shift will have visible effects on social precarity and the risk of homelessness.

Every year on December 10, the world marks Human Rights Day. In 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — a landmark document enshrining the basic rights of every individual and placing responsibility for their protection in the hands of governments.

While the year-end season is, for many, a time of togetherness, the number of people without a home in Belgium keeps rising. At the same time, support services are under growing pressure. To shine a light on this reality and support lasting solutions, the non-profit Infirmiers de rue is launching its new awareness and fundraising campaign today: “We must rehouse them!”

The end-of-year campaign is a crucial moment for any non-profit. It often determines whether we reach our goals — but setting it up requires significant financial and human investment.

It was in 2020, in the midst of the COVID pandemic, that Matthieu Van Riet, Head of Marketing and Communication at KBC Brussels, joined a Street Nurses team on outreach for a field report. That moment, he says, will remain etched in his memory. Even now, he gets a lump in his throat thinking back on it.

For people living on the streets, feet are much more than just a way to move—they are vital for daily survival. Every day, they walk several kilometers, often with ill-fitting or worn-out shoes. Without regular access to hygiene, clean water or healthcare, foot problems become common and can have serious consequences.