It’s a pretty house, in the center of Gilly, with a small town garden where the neighborhood cats pass. Its tenants, Anne, Nathalie, Jean-Jacques and Éric, live in a shared accommodation like no other, because this house is one of the 13 protected dwellings of the Carolégienne association for the management of protected dwellings (ACGHP).
Protected housing (IHP) accommodates people with a mental health diagnosis, in whom their life journey – sometimes long-term hospitalizations – has led to a loss of autonomy.
A period of transition
“The passage to IHP is presented as a transit, even if the length of stay is no longer limited to two years as before.” explains Myriam Delsart, coordinating manager of the ACGHP. “It was a bit shortrecognizes Arzou, social worker, the beneficiary had barely set down his suitcases before he had to start looking for accommodation.”
From now on, beneficiaries can take the time to develop their independence, while stabilizing their mental health.
We don’t live at the IHP like we do in a hotel, there are rules of life, schedules. You can go out while respecting the curfew, even evict, provided you warn, but not bring someone back to stay in the shared house. You can ask to be accommodated as a couple, but each in their own room. We prepare our meals, we help with the cleaning.
Residents must be solvent. They pay the charges, “This prevents us from overheating our room to live in shorts all year round, or from taking two-hour showers.» remarks the social worker.
And the seizures?
Despite the mental illness of the residents, crises are very rare. “I have known a maximum of five in 20 years of career, said Myriam Delsart. Most often due to substance use.»
There’s the drinking, of course,”with cheap beers, I’ve already seen someone who consumed two liters a day!» said the coordinator. But she also notes that cannabis, the consumption of which has become commonplace, causes a lot of damage to people suffering from mental illness. “We have established a rule of zero consumption in our homes, and a ban on returning to a state of impregnation. And we don’t smoke tobacco indoors either, out of respect for others..”
Other crises – due to adjustment of treatment, for example – are most often avoided thanks to good knowledge of the beneficiaries. “We know that the person is less well, because they say so or there are signs that indicate it, such as paranoia, social difficulties… So, we refer them to a doctor» explains Arzou. “There are more difficult times of the year. For some, it’s the end of year celebrations, others Father’s or Mother’s Day. Some people are more nervous in spring…»
Meetings, friends
There are four in Gilly, eight elsewhere… In total, there are 79 places in the thirteen protected homes in Charleroi. And residents meet during cooking, art, games or self-affirmation workshops. There are outings together, to restaurants, for example. “For agoraphobic people, it helps them to be with people they know» notes Myriam Delsart.
These workshops are particularly useful for young people, who have been increasing in number since the Covid crisis. “We accept people from the age of 18, but at that age, they often don’t have the management skills, sometimes they have never cooked themselves. You have to be patient because they can be very demanding», says the coordinator.
Social workers must set limits. “We call every day, at the end of the afternoon, to see if everything is okay. Because sometimes, they don’t think to call us, and suddenly, at night, there is an “emergency”, like “I no longer have credit on my phone”, says Myriam Delsart. Once, a beneficiary found himself stuck in Charleroi in the evening because there was snow and the buses had returned. I told him I wasn’t a taxi. And he found the resources, on his own, to return home.» Learning to be independent had worked.
About protected housing in Charleroi
- Association chapter XII Charleroi’s protected housing emanates from Chapter XII, because they offer a structure governing partnerships between CPAS and other public authorities or legal entities under public or private law.
- Elsewhere in Wallonia There are protected housing initiatives (IHP) throughout Wallonia, the list is available on the AVIQ website.
- Pets allowed “Before, the presence of animals was prohibited. Then we realized that this made some people give up. Today, we allow small dogs and cats, provided there is a solution to accommodate them in the event of hospitalization..”
- A life project If the plan of the person suffering from mental illness is euthanasia, they will not be admitted to the IHP. “Likewise, we consider a suicide attempt to be a break in collaboration. But if the person talks about their suicidal thoughts beforehand, we can help them, refer them to a doctor, and put them in shelter.»
