Belgium

YOUNITED BELGIUM

Younited Belgium is a social sports project designed to motivate and help homeless people reintegrate into society. Made up of 28 teams from around Belgium, Younited works through a combination of sports and social activities, and aims to raise awareness and challenge stereotypes of homelessness as well as offering players a chance to build their confidence, improve their self image, and feel supported.

ORGANISATION DETAILS

PARTICIPANTS

Men and women with no home, in temporary dwellings, in shelters, affected by substance abuse, and undocumented immigrants.

LOCATIONS

Across Belgium, including Namur, Antwerp, Ronse, Mons, Brussels, Tongerlo, Gent, Lier and Antwerp.

Country statistics

12 out of 189 in Human Development Index rankings (UNDP, 2024)

Average annual salary per person $54,530 (World Bank, 2024)

98.2% of people live in urban areas

Belgium is a country in Western Europe with a population of 11.9 million people. It is considered to have one of the highest population densities in the world with 98.2% of the population living in urban areas. Two million people living in capital city Brussels and one million people live in second largest city Antwerp. (CIA World Factbook, 2023)

In November 2024, charity Bruss’Help did a point in time study of the number of people who were sleeping rough in the capital – the last time the survey was done in November 2022, there were 7,134 recorded, but researchers estimate that figures at the latest count will exceed 10,000. It’s estimated that this is only a third of people who are homeless as it does not cover the ‘hidden homeless’ such as people who are sofa-surfing (Brussels Times, 2024).

Research by Housing First in Belgium and charity SPP Social Integration found that the main causes of homelessness among young people in the country are conflicts with family and friends (37.4%), relationship problems (15%), immigration (11.2%), eviction (10.4%) and mental health problems (10.2%). (SPP Social Integration, 2024)

Each year Belgium receives thousands of applications from refugees and asylum seekers who are seeking to make the country their home. In 2023, 35,507 applications were made with 42% of applicants granted refugee status. The majority of people with recognised refugee status were from Syria, Eritrea and Afghanistan (Office of the CGRS, 2023).