“If I haven’t found anything by November 21, a bailiff will put us on the street,” said Mohammed, who has been looking for new accommodation for more than a year. The Moroccan, his wife and their three children have lived in this CPAS accommodation on rue Essen in Antwerp since 2014. Initially for one year and extended for nine years, the rental contract ended last summer. The CPAS notified the Moroccan family of the end of the contract and asked them to vacate the premises. Failing to have found new accommodation, Mohammed and his family continue to occupy this accommodation, reports Nieuwsblad.be.
“My wife works in childcare and I am looking for a job. She earns around 3,100 euros gross and I receive an allowance of around 700 euros. Finding new accommodation should therefore not be a problem,” explains Mohammed. However, the Moroccan has been trying to find suitable accommodation for more than a year. ” I don’t understand. We have visited dozens of accommodations, but each time we are told that the owner has already found another tenant or that the accommodation is no longer available,” he says.
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Mohammed is desperate after all these failed attempts. It is also impossible to find social housing. “I am on several lists, but the waiting lists are insurmountable. For some accommodations, there are sometimes 400 people waiting. For others there are only 50, but it doesn’t seem realistic that we can get in before November 21st. We would already be satisfied if we could rent something smaller, even with only one or two bedrooms. Anything is better than ending up on the street, but it seems hopeless.”
The father confides that he even called the King of Belgium for help. “At the end of my resources, I wrote a letter to King Philippe. He replied that he had forwarded my complaints to the CPAS in Antwerp, but I have still heard nothing from them.” Helpless, Mohammed fears expulsion on November 21 and fears that his children, still minors (17, 15 and 13 years old), will be placed in care. “I worry a lot about my children. They do very well in school… If we find ourselves on the street, it will undoubtedly have consequences on their studies. »
Belgium
