The Federal Government launched a call for "Housing First" projects on Wednesday, which will aim to help young homeless people off the streets.
The Belgian government's call for projects was drawn from a similar model in Finland, which has proven to provide long-term housing and stability to its homeless population. According to the Belgian Minister for Urban Policy Caroline Gennez (Vooruit), this has cut the number of homeless Finns since the project was launched.
"Having your own roof over your head is the first step to getting your life back on track", Gennez explained, which is why the Belgian Government is following the Scandinavian country's model by allocating €10 million to 25 social service centres across the country who are prioritising the provision of housing for homeless people.
Translation of tweet: "With a budget of €10 million euros, 25 social services from all over the country will be able to acquire real estate or land to provide housing for several young people and to get them off the streets. See you in a few months for photos of the realisation of this beautiful project in the cities!"
Municipalities will then be "given the opportunity to acquire and renovate properties or land for the installation of sustainable modular housing," the Belgian Minister for Combating Poverty Karine Lalieux (PS) confirmed.
Lalieux and Gennez explained that Belgian cities will be better-equipped to combat homelessness and implement a "structural" anti-poverty policy.
