News

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.

October 17 marks the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. A symbolic date, but also a wake-up call in a context where austerity policies are weakening the social aid systems in Belgium. Recent measures — such as time-limited unemployment benefits, the abolition of the Winter Plan, harsher migration policies, and job regime reforms — are deepening inequalities and increasing the vulnerability of millions across the country.

On 14 October, thousands of citizens, workers and associations will take to the streets.
Street Nurses will stand by their side.
Not to defend a privilege. Not to shout into the void.
We are taking to the streets to remind everyone of a simple but essential truth: political decisions shape our lives — and today, these choices are making people poorer, dividing and excluding.

October 10: A day to connect mental health and homelessness

On October 10, we mark both World Mental Health Day and the International Day Against Homelessness. Two important causes that are often separated, despite being deeply intertwined.

Living on the street means living with insecurity, isolation, and fear. It means being exposed to constant stress that damages both the body and the mind. And when mental health starts to decline, without support or housing, ending up on the street becomes almost inevitable.

Precarity is not just a social issue — it’s a public health issue.

The link between mental health and homelessness is profoundly complex and bidirectional. The extreme vulnerability experienced by people without housing undermines their psychological balance: chronic stress, isolation, insecurity, and identity loss all contribute to emotional suffering. Conversely, pre-existing mental health issues — such as depression, schizophrenia, or addiction — can lead to social breakdown and exclusion

At Street Nurses, we see every day that hygiene is about much more than being clean. For people experiencing homelessness, having a shower, wearing clean clothes, or simply smelling fresh is often the very first step toward health, dignity, and reintegration. That is why we do not see hygiene as a detail, but as a cornerstone of our methodology in supporting homeless people.
 

In this episode of the Positive Changemakers podcast, Émilie Meessen, a trained nurse and co-coordinator of Street Nurses, shares her nearly 20-year commitment to supporting and caring for people experiencing homelessness in Brussels.

She reflects on the evolution of the organisation, the concrete actions carried out daily — frontline care in the street, guidance towards housing and employment — and her ambitious vision: ending homelessness is possible.

A powerful interview showing that social change starts with sincere listening and a collective will to act.

In Brussels’ public space, signs of hostile architecture are multiplying: sloped benches, spiked ledges, sound deterrents, decorative fences… all designed to prevent people from staying too long. Behind this lies a clear intent: to push poverty out of sight, even if it makes life harder for those most vulnerable.