Watch: The team on a mission to eradicate homelessness in Belgium

euronews (in English)

Musti Önlen founded Homie, an organisation that takes a holistic approach to eradicating homelessness.

Transcript

00:00I think that one person that's homeless, that's too much.

00:03My idea was, okay, I know homeless youngsters.

00:07I had a friend who was giving away a caravan for free.

00:10I just put the youngster in the caravan and I can help this individual.

00:18But it was not so easy because what a person actually really needs

00:21is not only for the housing part, but also for the welfare.

00:25My name is Misty Onnen.

00:27I am the founder and coordinator of the non-profit organization HOMELESS.

00:44In Europe, homelessness is a big problem.

00:47We just had a counting of the homeless people here in Belgium.

00:51If you see the figures, 20,000 of them are younger than 25.

00:55I believe that's something we cannot accept.

00:59HOMIE is an organization for young homeless adults between 18 and 25 years old.

01:04We give shelter, work, welfare.

01:07Five years ago, I put a caravan in a neighborhood.

01:11I asked the neighbors, can you also do something for a young homeless individual?

01:16And they were like, oh, I can cook, I can do the laundry.

01:20You can come at my place in the evening on Tuesday to play games.

01:24And it really started out as a big community.

01:26Every time the person who was staying in the caravan had a question,

01:30he just put it in the WhatsApp group and it was the neighbors who immediately gave support.

01:35It was a feeling of solidarity that I've created.

01:39It was so heartfelt.

01:47This is my home. I got this from Mustief.

01:49It's a little caravan. I got everything I need.

01:52I got a sofa, I got a bed, I got furniture, everything.

01:55I lost my job. I couldn't pay rent, I couldn't pay my bills.

01:59Then I got evicted and, yeah, a few days on the street.

02:03Mentally, it wasn't going well with me.

02:06There was no one to rely on. I had nobody.

02:09It was tough. I'm glad I don't have to do that anymore.

02:12I'm really glad I met him.

02:15The most important thing that I can provide to my kids is proximity.

02:20They can contact us 24-7.

02:23They can tell me everything, so I'm really open to them as well.

02:27If I know what's going on in their minds, I can support them where and when they need it.

02:34My passion of working with the Stargate Group is because of my own experience.

02:39When I was 15, I got homeless.

02:41The hardest part was insecurity.

02:43I didn't know where to go.

02:45I got a lot of support from the youth care system, but sometimes it's not enough.

02:49It's not easy to provide because the system is already full.

02:54When I was 18, I had to leave the system.

02:56I had to leave the youth care system.

02:58The system is already full.

03:00When I was 18, I had to leave the system.

03:02I had to live on my own.

03:04It doesn't mean that you're an adult and that you can handle life.

03:07I've actually made a big difference on a policy level, together with other organizations as well.

03:17Now, the youth care system is accessible for youngsters still the age of 25.

03:22We are so innovative, and we are always looking for solutions.

03:26With hotels, with foster care families, and our caravans, that's something out of the box.

03:33The mission of our non-profit organization is to make sure that the youngster doesn't have to sleep for one night on the street.

03:40Even one night of being on the street can cause multiple traumatic experiences.

03:46It's all about growing up in a warm nest.

03:50The most they need right now is a safe place.

03:55They don't feel like they're all alone.

03:59I've been a member of HOMIE for one and a half years now.

04:03Right now, Valeska is with me.

04:07We have a lot in common.

04:09I listen to her story, but of course I can't say anything.

04:14Now, we have five houses, three caravans, 12 foster care families who give shelter in their own homes.

04:28And we have partnerships with hotels and with multinationals as well, who can help them in the life domain of work.

04:35We have a barber shop that cuts the hair of our youngsters.

04:40It's really important because you feel good, you feel shiny.

04:44It's like a confidence boost.

04:46It's not only to cut my hair.

04:48You have a good conversation with someone, it's socializing.

04:51You come in the city, you see people.

04:54I was afraid of that three months ago.

04:56Rusty helped me with every part of my life.

04:58He fixed all my papers, documentations, which you need to work.

05:02After that, he helped me search a job.

05:05Tomorrow, I have a job interview.

05:07Tomorrow, I have a job interview.

05:09It's life-changing.

05:11I see that my youngsters grow in such a quick time, and that they feel good when they are staying with us.

05:17He can breathe again, he can smile again.

05:20It makes me happy as well.

05:22I think the most important thing is that they just try to do their best.

05:28I don't see this as my job.

05:31This is my life, this is my passion.

05:34I'm happy that we can build our organization into the needs of the target group.

05:39To be honest, I actually would like that we can shut HOMIE,

05:42because that would mean that they are not young homeless persons anymore.

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