Hasselt (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Hasselt’s transition house for ex-offenders, announced in 2023 with €683,000 funding, will not be built for now. Alderman Astrid Franssens (CD&V) cites rising costs and uncertain neighbourhood support.
As VRT News reported, the transition house for ex-offenders in Hasselt, which was scheduled to open this year, will not be built for now. Now the project has been delayed for an extended period. Astrid Franssens, Alderman for Poverty Reduction (CD&V), said rising construction costs have made the plan impossible to carry out.
What happened to Hasselt’s €683K transition house for ex-offenders
Officials mentioned that the budget was drawn up during the previous legislative term, but prices increased sharply after the coronavirus pandemic. Because of this, Hasselt currently has no alternative measures to support ex-detainees.
“The house turned out to be much more expensive than originally estimated. We had to make some crucial decisions,”
says Franssens.
“The decision was also made in the best interest of the neighbourhood. There was little support for the transitional home,”
she adds.
“But we’ll continue to invest in our staff. We’re taking responsibility, because the prison is on our territory. We’re currently working on several new projects, but I can’t say anything concrete about them yet, “
Franssens concludes.
Belgium has been opening small transition houses to help ex-offenders reintegrate into society. The first of these houses opened in Mechelen in 2019, allowing prisoners nearing release to serve the final part of their sentence in a safe, supervised home instead of a prison. By 2024, these facilities were formally included in Belgian law to ensure long-term support for reintegration.
Hasselt’s planned transition house, first announced the project in 2023 to help former inmates who face serious housing problems but do not have major behavioural or psychiatric issues. The plan included 4 separate studios, each about 40 square meters, where residents could stay for 3 to 6 months.
The project was also designed to guide residents toward work, education, or volunteer opportunities to help them regain independence. Hasselt committed €500,000 to the plan, and the Flemish government added another €183,000. From the beginning, the city involved the local neighbourhood to answer questions and discuss concerns. According to the 2023 timeline, the first residents were expected to move in during spring 2025.
