News

A significant loss of income due to cuts in tax relief on donations...

To meet growing needs in the fight against extreme poverty, private fundraising has become essential for our organisations. Aware of the limited resources of public authorities, we have spent years building networks of individual donors to bridge the gap. These donations enable us to launch innovative social projects that receive little or no public funding, reinforce understaffed services, and upgrade our infrastructure to improve quality.

Nearly 50,000 people are currently homeless in Belgium. Behind this staggering number lie thousands of broken paths, suspended lives, families, men, women, and children living in extreme precariousness. In 2024, all three regions of the country updated their counts: the findings are alarming, and time is running out.

2024 will have been a year of learning, but in spite of ourselves: the life of our association is not always smooth sailing, and mistakes are a source of learning.

It is with deep sadness, but also with pride and affection, that we pay tribute today to our dear colleague, Dr Pierre Ryckmans. A devoted doctor, passionate humanist and indispensable force within the non-profit organisation Street Nurses, his passing leaves a great void, not only among us, his colleagues and friends, but also among the many homeless people for whom he worked tirelessly.

20 February is the International Day of Social Justice. It's a significant day, given the rise of extremism and anti-social policies around the world.

Building more social housing is often presented as the obvious solution to address homelessness. Yet this approach, while important, is not enough to solve the problem of homeless people.

At Street Nurses, we often notice that a refusal of help by homeless people is often misunderstood. One might perceive it as a lack of willingness to leave the street. But this refusal often hides much more complex reasons. As Pierre Ryckmans, the coordinating physician of our team, explains: "It’s not a rejection of the hand offered, but a response to difficult experiences or inadequate solutions." Understanding these refusals allows us to provide more appropriate and respectful support.

Launch winter campaign 2024: "Donation after donation, let's build a future for homeless people". As the year draws to a close, Street Nurses invites you to join a movement to change the lives of homeless people. Your support can make all the difference: every donation you make is another contribution to a better future.

Living on the streets, in extremely precarious conditions of safety, sleep and food, usually leads, for practical or psychological reasons, to a deterioration in personal hygiene and clothing. This deteriorated state will be a warning signal for carers, and the extent of this deterioration will most often signal the seriousness of the situation.

In September, Housing First celebrated its tenth anniversary. To mark this event, Housing First teams from all over Belgium gathered in Brussels to take stock of this decade.

Dear reader, 2023 was marked by two concerns which, as always at Streetnurses, quickly turned into action: creating housing for our patients and improving their mental health.

The year 2023 was marked by two major concerns that, as always with Streetnurses, lead to action quickly: creating housing for our patients and improving their mental health.

For more information, download our summarized activity report!