The energy crisis also has consequences in the reception of the homeless. There too, the bills have risen sharply. In Charleroi, the note of an association goes from 4,000 to 30,000 euros. His survival is at stake.
Our team went this Saturday to the association “Comme chez nous”. It helps the homeless in Charleroi. It takes 23°C in the premises to warm people in great difficulty. For a few hours, the beneficiaries find coffee, heating, in short: a break from the hassle of the street. “For some who have health problems, it’s more difficult. We dress warmly, we try in any case. It feels good to be able to come and sit here for a few hours, to not always be standing in the cold. To be able to enjoy a coffee”confie Geoffrey.
In this ASBL, we offer the homeless a meal every day, but also showers: 15 minutes per person. A hundred beneficiaries wash each day.
However, all this represents a significant budgetary cost. “We must maintain a temperature high enough to allow them to land warm. Ditto the showers, we cannot turn off the hot water, because they seek this shower for hygiene, but also to warm up”, explains Marine , social worker.
Invoice amounts are rising
In recent months, the day center has seen its energy bills explode. According to forecasts, the cost goes from 4,000 to 30,000 euros. The consequences are direct. “We have contracts that we have not been able to renew. In 2023, we have the real question of whether we will still have to part with staff, and there is nothing to do, demand is increasing, but we the means are diminishing, says Sophie Crapez, coordinator of the ASBL.
Ensuring a redevelopment project in the midst of a difficult situation
On a daily basis, the center and its structure dedicated to women and families are faced with reduced staff. It is therefore difficult to provide support for reintegration. “I have administrative help, just to put the papers in order. And then it can be at the legal level, it can be at the family level, and of course it’s active searches for housing. ‘there aren’t enough accommodations compared to the number of people looking for it, that’s a lot of hours of work’says Sophie Crapez.
The association must now find funds for a vast redevelopment project, partly subsidized. All this in a context of concern and uncertainty.
