Haspengouw (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The police and teachers from Haspengouw established a fund which donated €2,000 to help five local children battling challenging situations throughout the period from mid-January. While officials work on a permanent placement, the children stay in the temporary care of De Klimop and Picpussen primary school teachers.
Police officers and educators from Haspengouw collaborated to collect funds, which now total €2,000, for five children who have not been able to stay at home since mid-January because of their problematic situation. Children ranging from 3 to 14 years old receive care from teachers at De Klimop and Picpussen primary schools together with Mariavreugde boarding school of Borgloon.
Klimop management discovered in mid-January that family members faced homelessness, which resulted in urgent agency. Teachers from De Klimop and Picpussen took charge of providing short-term care for all children, with special emphasis placed on the two children who had already received services at Klimop. Staff members received a non-mandatory appeal, which motivated four teachers to provide temporary housing for four children in their homes.
The eldest child currently lives at Mariavreugde boarding school. Residents from the community donated their surplus clothing in the freezing January months.
Clueless about the measures taken to support the children, police officers intervened after a top public official partnered with community groups Prospèrke and Eddy Strijckers for their charity drive.
“It is an incredible story,”
Said Chief Luypaert.
“When you hear the story, it gives you a warm feeling.”
The officials frequently come across these types of cases when performing their duties while supporting vulnerable families wholeheartedly. Children who have been removed from their homes remain without permanent external shelters at this present time.
The police chief expresses his satisfaction about how his colleagues and the nonprofit associations Prospèrke and Eddy Strijckers managed to raise the amount within a short period.
“With the collection, we want to demonstrate our continued commitment because behind the uniform, there are also ordinary people with a warm heart”,
He concludes proudly.
The children continue their stay with host families for about 4 weeks over this period. The city council of Tongeren-Borgloon failed to respond when VRT NWS attempted to request information about shelter shortages during January and solution-seeking initiatives.
Police chief Luypaert reports that his officers have similar tragic encounters on a routine basis.
“I don’t have any figures for my own zone, but you notice that these kinds of cases are difficult in society. As police, we also work on the fringes of society and are confronted with such problems. There are a number of families living there who are having a particularly hard time.”
Why is this significant?
Haspengouw exemplifies the major difficulties that Belgian families face when dealing with unstable housing situations. A surge in family homelessness has been documented by local sources throughout the previous years. Eldermiss Police force leader Luypaert stated that such housing cases routinely occur across his sector without providing exact statistics for Haspengouw.
“As police, we also work on the fringes of society and are confronted with such problems,”
He said.
Belgium experiences crafting new housing policies together with child welfare advancements since its social service organisations operate beyond their capacity. Community initiatives operating with local solidarity demonstrate effective ways for communities to fill gaps that government support may not adequately address.
