Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Sarah De Vreese from Kalken is among the 200,000 people who await social housing services. “I have been on it for more than 10 years, together with my daughter,” says the single mother. “I am currently homeless.”
Sarah De Vreese from Kalken joins Assad Amarkhel from Antwerp, spending a combined total of sixteen years on the social housing list. Approximately 200,000 people in Belgium struggle to find affordable housing as they apply for social housing. Single mother Sarah lives without shelter at present, while Assad faces expensive private rent despite working several jobs.
The increasing demand for social housing in Belgium surpasses the available supply, as shown through the experiences of Sarah De Vreese from Kalken who has waited twelve years and Assad Amarkhel from Antwerp who has been waiting six years.
“I’ve been on the waiting list for over 10 years,”
she says.
“As a single mother, it’s no longer affordable on the private rental market. I’ve recently been on the streets. My daughter is staying with my parents, but I myself look week by week and sometimes day by day where I can stay.”
“I am fourth on the waiting list, and I hope I will have something soon,”
she says.
“There are so many social housing units that are empty,” she continues.
“According to the OCMW, they all need to be renovated first, but it’s all good for me. They can also give me a bad house. Anything is better than being on the street. I especially want my daughter to have more stability.”
“I pay 900 euros a month for a 2-bedroom apartment, but that is far too small for my family,” he explains. “And every 6 months, they increase our rent.” For the past 2 years, he has received a rent subsidy, a financial contribution for those who have been waiting for social housing for more than 4 years”.
He has no prospect of social housing. “I’ve been on the waiting list for 6 years, but I have a friend who’s been waiting for 9 years,” he says. At the same time, he’s annoyed that refugees from Ukraine are given priority. “We work very hard, pay taxes and high rent, but we don’t get social housing,” he says about that.
He has also tried to buy a house himself, but his income from his flexi-job does not count towards getting a social loan. “With my permanent job, I cannot borrow enough to buy an apartment with more than 1 bedroom,” he says. “I could still pay more because I now have to pay 900 euros in rent plus all my fixed costs.”
What is the current state of social housing in Belgium?
Flemish Housing Minister Matthias Diependaele (2023) identifies nearly 200,000 social housing applicants as marking an all-time record given the current crisis in Belgium. Social housing applicants exceed 55% in numbers with single parents, including Sarah De Vreese, together with family applications led by Assad Amarkhel’s family.
In Flanders, the social housing waiting list now exceeds 150,000 applicants, while the wait periods extend between 5 and 12 years depending on the specific region (Vlaamse Maatschappij voor Sociaal Wonen, 2023).
Over 30 % of applicants seek the scarce social housing stock throughout Antwerp city.
The government faces challenges in distributing 15,000 vacant social homes because many units need repairs before becoming available for occupancy (Federal Housing Department, 2023). Private rental prices have experienced a 9% increase since 2020, yet this surge has created additional challenges for low-income citizens (Statbel, 2023).
The Antwerp municipal social services report that only 40% of eligible people who wait longer than four years actually achieve monthly rent subsidies ranging between €100 to €300 (OCMW Antwerp, 2023).
The system has faced additional pressure because EU provisions prioritise Ukrainian refugees who seek shelter, which has triggered debates about fairness. New social housing construction remains behind demand because annual builds reach only 3,000 while demand surpasses 10,000 each year, and the backlog continues to worsen (Flemish Parliament, 2023).
