Despite censuses organized by several cities, there are today no detailed and harmonized data in Belgium about the number of homeless and poorly housed people, and about their profile. However, reliable data at national level are necessary for the fight against homelessness and for taking targeted measures for the people concerned. The first panel of the national conference, organized by Street Nurses on 14 October, will stress that point.
By signing the Declaration of Lisbon, Belgium and the other member states of the European Union committed themselves to end homelessness by 2030. As a first step in that direction, they should have at their disposal reliable and comparable data at national level.
During the national conference “From dream to reality, ending homelessness in Belgium”, organized by Street Nurses on 14 October 2022, a series of panels will discuss four essential pillars to support a global plan for ending homelessness: data, housing, accompaniment, prevention. The first panel will focus on the availability of problem-related data.
The organizations that are active in the field agree that the number of homeless people is on the rise. However, there is today no harmonized methodology for the whole of Belgium to collect clear data about the extent of the problem.
Quantitative and qualitative data are essential:
The first panel of the national conference will focus on the question of data in the light of existing homelessness-related methods, practices, and general trends in Belgium.