Stories

When I tell my family that my job sometimes involves spending an afternoon in a café or playing a game of pétanque in the morning, they often smile. They probably think I have a very easygoing job. But behind this seemingly relaxed approach lies a profound mission: guidance and reconstruction.

In this report by Cathobel, we follow an outreach with Margaux and Aymeric and end in Willy's apartment with Pauline.

My name is Cloé and I have been a nurse for 6 years. From the beginning of my career, I was attracted to social work, which automatically brought me to work for the homeless. For two years now I have been part of the non-profit organization Street Nurses, dedicated to accompanying this vulnerable group of people. 

In our institution we regularly form mixed teams. Then we exchange colleagues from different departments to immerse ourselves together in field work. Today it’s my turn to spend a morning in the field with a colleague from the street team.

When we meet her, we sometimes catch a glimpse of one of her blue eyes, but her face remains hidden. She protects herself by concealing it as much as possible.

Mr. R. has been followed by Street nurses for over 1 year. His attending physician tells us he’s worrying about him, because already 4 years ago he lost his home and is going back and forth between the street and his mother.

We've been following Mrs G. for nearly 3 years.

The link came about little by little, with ups and downs, good and bad times. She is in Belgium without papers. The possibilities to shelter and take care of her are therefore limited.

I sometimes leave my job very angry because of the conditions we must sometimes work in. Let me explain.

Mr. M.* is accompanied in his home by the Housing First team, after he moved in following 20 years without a roof over his head. The way he adapts to his home, without being a long calm river, is still a success. He got settled, developed new habits, and does not even think of going back. This is a sociable person, who likes to be surrounded, tell his stories, talk about his setbacks and his passions.

Recently, three patients we follow in their homes, were hospitalized.

They each lived alone, and all faced physical, mental and addiction problems. They were strongly opposed to our advice to live in supervised housing, which would have been much more appropriate.

I went with a colleague to visit two brothers we follow in their homes. They are quite young compared to our usual patients. We had agreed with to meet at one of them and go to the cemetery to visit their mother's grave. They want to go there together every January on the anniversary of her death. Once there, one after the other observed a moment’s contemplation. My colleague and I stayed aside so as not to disturb them.

Accompanying Mrs. H. towards the end of her life is much more than a simple mission. It is a complex journey, a challenge that tests the compassion and human will of our team. Mrs. H. has gone through trials that few of us can understand: a life on the street, struggles with drug abuse and daily battles with health issues.