There is cause for concern for Luc Vandormael, the president of the CPAS federation of Wallonia, who was the guest of Fabrice Grosfilley on Bel RTL. He reports that “we are already seeing the signs of an increase in requests for aid linked to energy bills“.
Luc Vandormael is sounding the alarm, according to him, we are only at the beginning of trouble: “We are coming out of the Covid. We had floods in some areas. Now comes the energy crisis. The situation is really worrying and our social workers are really on their knees” he told us. For the CPAS, we must expect the worst: “The key moment is when you receive your regularization invoice. We really fear that moment“.
13% of Belgians live below the poverty line, while in Wallonia, they are 20%. This represents one in five people, including one in four children. Luc Vandormael draws attention to a particular category of the population, that of young people: “According to statistics from a year or two ago when we were talking regarding 23% of the population at the CPAS who were under 24… Today we have passed 30%“.
He also notices a new public pushing the doors of the CPAS: “There are people from the middle class who tell us ‘be careful, we don’t have this procession of aid that is granted to the most vulnerable people’. These are people who work with a salary that is sometimes quite substantial“Work no longer protects once morest precariousness, according to the president of the CPAS federation of Wallonia, “even if we work full time, we see working poor“.
The situation is likely to get worse:With the energy crisis, the rate of one in four households might increase to one in three who are on the edge of the precipice“.
What do the CPAS expect? “There may be people who will go into debt, who will drastically reduce their energy bills by saying ‘we’re going to drop X degrees’. This is not necessarily a good solution when you have health problems“.
The president of the CPAS federation of Wallonia repeats it however: “Do not hesitate to push the door of the CPAS of your municipality“.
