Reconsidering the interrupted housing pathways of refugees in Flanders (Belgium) from a home-making perspective: a policy critique

Abstract

This article addresses housing and accommodation challenges for refugees in Flanders, a region in Belgium by merging the author’s distinct disciplinary perspectives—architectural and sociological. It builds upon two core concepts in housing literature: ‘housing pathways’ and ‘home-making’. Integrating results of several research projects, the article explores the entire housing pathways of refugees from their arrival up to their settlement in private housing in Flemish cities. We analyse how the Belgian system, in which asylum applicants are mainly housed in large, socially isolated and anonymous accommodation centres, obstructs refugees’ ability to find integrated, affordable and decent housing once their application has been approved. Combining our research insights, the article formulates a policy critique. We contend that home-making processes of refugees in Flanders are problematic because their housing pathways are severely interrupted due to policy gaps related to Belgium’s complex, multi-level government structure.

Keywords:

• Refugees
• housing pathways
• home-making
• Belgium
• policy gaps

Acknowledgements

Luce Beeckmans would like to thank in particular Ella Vanden Houte for her valuable insights and the inspiring collaboration. Luce Beeckmans also deeply thanks all the members of the HEIM-collective, in particular Jan Denoo, Jonas De Maeyer, Maarten Desmet, Marieke Dilles and Adriaan Vermeulen for the rich collaboration.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Fragment from the basic philosophy of the earliest norms drafted for the accommodation of asylum seekers (for LOI), by the ‘Cel Tweedelijnsopvang’ Ministry of Social Affairs, 2000.

Additional information

Funding

For Luce Beeckmans, this article was made possible by research funding received from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). For Dirk Geldof, this article was made possible by research financed by a PWO-grant of Odisee University of Applied Sciences, provided by the Flemish Government, a research finance for ‘Housing support for recognised refugees in Flanders by volunteers and NGO’s’, financed by the Flemish government in 2018–2019 and AMIF-Funding for the research project on the ‘Living conditions of (accompanied) children and families in asylum centres in Belgium’.