Hasselt (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Hasselt partners with Wonen in Limburg (WiL) to use vacant social housing. A pilot of 23 units will start soon, targeting urgent residents and improving temporary housing use.
As VRT News reported, the city of Hasselt is joining forces with the housing association Wonen in Limburg (WiL) to offer temporary housing to people in urgent need. Many residents are waiting for social housing, and the waiting list is long. The partnership will use vacant social housing units. These units will be available for the short term.
How will Hasselt and WiL use 23 vacant homes for urgent housing?
City officials say the program makes better use of existing homes and helps people in urgent situations.
”Sometimes that temporary vacancy lasts longer than a year,”
says Alderman for Housing Dries Martens (Vooruit).
“That’s a wasted period right now. That’s why we want to put that vacancy period to good use by allowing people in need to move in.”
“The demand for social housing is high. That’s why we’ll be building more social housing over several years. But with this measure, we hope to make a small contribution.”
The city of Hasselt is offering temporary housing through the social housing association Wonen in Limburg (WiL). A vacancy manager from WiL works with the Public Centre for Social Welfare (OCMW) to decide which residents in urgent need can move into vacant homes. Residents can stay in these units for a maximum of 2 years.
“Not all currently vacant properties are eligible,”
says Martens.
“We first assess the condition of the property. Then, together with the Public Centre for Social Welfare (OCMW), we match people who genuinely need temporary housing.”
The project will start in November 2025, with 23 homes available for temporary use. City officials and WiL will monitor the program closely to see how it works.
In July 2023, 19 housing corporations situated in Limburg merged to form Wonen in Limburg (WiL), which will manage about 24,000 residential real estate units across Limburg. Officials have noted that the merger aims to increase the availability of housing and strengthen housing services to create active communities where everyone has a place to call home.
