Leuven (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – 2 small homes opened on Galgebergstraat, Leuven, for long-term homeless as part of the “10×1: 10 homes in 10 years” project, providing safe housing and stability for residents.
As VRT News reported, 2 new homes have opened on Galgebergstraat in Leuven. They are meant for people who have been living on the streets for at least 2 years. The project is called “10×1: 10 homes in 10 years”.
Officials mentioned that the homes are built on city-owned land. Around 780 people in the Leuven region are currently homeless. Rising housing prices make it even harder for people with low incomes to find a home.
What are the 2 new homes on Galgebergstraat doing for Leuven’s homeless?
The initiative follows the Leuven Action Plan for Homelessness. It uses the “Housing First” principle. Officials mentioned that the idea is that individuals can only solve social, health, or personal problems if they first have a stable place to live.
They said that new homes are small but built to be comfortable and energy-efficient. The project was funded by De Valkerij and its shareholders. The King Baudouin Foundation and the Province of Flemish Brabant also provided support. The first 2 homes are now complete. Organisers are seeking additional funds to build a 3rd home on the same site.
The opening of the homes was marked with music, pancakes, and waffles. Minister of Social Affairs Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) attended the event to see the homes. He said,
“This is much more than a wooden structure. This is a place for people who haven’t had their own home for a long time. This shows that real change is possible when a city council and citizens work together.”
“I also find the support of the private partners, the architectural firm and the energy company. remarkable. These private partners must, of course, create added value, but they also see that added value partly as social value. I think it’s wonderful that they don’t simply view housing as a profit model,”
says the minister.
“It took blood, sweat, and tears to make this happen,”
adds Leuven Alderman for Housing Lies Corneillie (Green).
“But today is a truly wonderful day. As an alderman, I often talk about housing policy and the right to housing, but today those words are finally becoming tangible.”
“It’s so important for people to know they have a place to sleep, where they can build their lives, where they can host people, where they can relax with their family. Here we’ve created space to breathe and to live. That’s truly vital,”
Corneillie concludes.
In September 2022, De Valkerij announced a plan with the City of Leuven to build 10 small homes over 10 years for people who have been homeless for a long time. The project follows Leuven’s Action Plan for Homelessness, launched in 2021 after a city survey found 466 adults living in long-term homelessness. Many of these people faced mental health or addiction problems.
The homes are part of the Housing First approach, which gives people a place to live before they receive social support. The project also responds to wider concerns in Flanders, where a 2023–2024 census found nearly 20,000 people experiencing homelessness, according to the King Baudouin Foundation.
