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.

Goal: an end to homelessness by 2030

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.

Better collection of 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:

1. To define a strategy for defining efficient and targeted measures to end homelessness;
2. and to evaluate their effect in the field.

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.

Panel members

• Louise Paquot, Advisor in charge of the census of homeless and poorly housed people in the Brussels Capital Region, Bruss’help.
  Bruss’help organizes bi-annual censuses about homeless and poorly housed people in the Brussels Capital Region to obtain a statistical overview as well as an insight into the people’s profiles.

• Koen Heremans, Professor at the Catholic University of Leuven, responsible for projects at LUCAS (KU Leuven) The LUCAS research team, cooperating with CIRTES of UCLouvain and the King Baudouin Foundation, promotes in Belgium the organization of regular and uniform censuses to collect comparable data about homelessness and what it means to have no place where you can feel “at home”.

Information and registration

• Place : Royal Flemish Theatre (KVS)
• Address : Quai aux Pierres de taille 7, 1000 Brussels
• Opening hours: from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm
• Price :
  • 35 € + administrative fees (in person)
  • 10 € + administration cost (online)
• Reservation: https://www.eventbrite.be/e/billets-conference-sur-la-fin-du-sans-abrisme-en-belgique-396569198147