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. .
A morning on the street
We make our way to a gentleman in his early fourties, Mr. J.*, who is now housed in an emergency center in Brussels. We come to help him with the renewal of his identity card. Most of these procedures seem simple and innocent, but sometimes turn out to be pretty complicated. To make matters worse, he was attacked yesterday and robbed of many of his remaining documents, his mobile phone, his bank card, etc.
An administrative labyrinth
We go to the town hall where an official kindly receives us. It’s not much but it makes a big difference to be listened to and received kindly, with empathy.
We learn that Mr. J. is properly registered, as confirmed in an administrative document. But matters are totally different in the National Register where he’s still recorded as “detained in Liège”. But our official at the counter doesn’t give up and tries to circumvent the red tape. He pulls out all the stops to create clarity, hoping to allow Mr. J. to renew his identity card.
Unfortunately, he’s tied hand and foot. The case can only be unblocked in…. Liège! Quietly and patiently, he explains all the necessary procedures. Confronted with this administrative absurdity, Mr. J. remains completely calm.
Together we go on to the next stop in his expedition: the post office. He must pay the rent for his post box to avoid losing his stuff. But nothing is ever simple, and as he has no identity card, and only a copy of the declaration of its loss, he’s denied access to his account. With such a stubborn employee, tensions could rise, but Mr. J. remains calm.
An essential support
We only have few strings to our bow left and try to contact the specialized police department that helps homeless people. Unfortunately, they are out in the field. There is a saying that an accident never come alone. But we don’t give up!
After a discussion with Mr. J. we decide to go to the police office where he reported the loss of his card. The office isn’t open yet. We pace back and forth in front of the door. Our moral and hope for a successful outcome of the procedures pale somewhat. A solid dose of a positive attitude is required. If only things end in their right place! The doors open, our anxiety is growing, someone at the reception welcomes us. Another very charming person with an open ear for our problems. We are lucky!
The stars seem to align: Mr. J. has come to the right place, no problem giving him a new certificate of loss. A week later that would have been different. But today he leaves with his certificate and renewed confidence in the administrative institutions visited. Morale is rising. We're going back to the post office. This time, there is no reason to deny him access to his account.
But like I said, an accident never comes alone. He has no money left in his account. As a consequence of the attack, the loss of his cash and the theft of his bank card, which was unfortunately debited, he no longer has enough to pay the rent of his mailbox. The tension that has been controlled so far, is now becoming noticeable. We have fewer and fewer ideas on how to avoid difficulties and overcome obstacles. And fewer and fewer tricks at hand. We therefore appeal to our colleagues. To prevent him from losing his box, we decide to advance the money together against an IOU.
Mr. J., despite the numerous pitfalls, has remained calm all morning long. The sense of injustice in certain procedures has not affected his desire to get administratively in order.
It's really not easy if you're going through a bad time. Thanks to the dedicated employees who are attentive to people's requests.
This experience also allows him to reflect on the priorities he must set in the future to prevent him from falling behind with payments and getting into administrative difficulties.
Story from Guillaume, social worker.
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(*) We do our utmost to respect the privacy of our patients and our professional secrecy. However, we want to testify to how they must survive and how we are working together to reintegrate them. As a result, the names of places and people are deliberately omitted or changed and real-life situations are placed in a different context. There is no direct link between the photos and the stories above.