Moroccan Family of Five Struggles in Cramped, Moldy Brussels Studio Amid Housing Crisis

Arrived in Belgium in 2009, Mustapha obtained social housing in Ganshoren after 10 years of waiting. His family, who remained in Morocco, joined him a few years later. The family lives in five in this small accommodation intended for a single person, located on the eighth floor of one of the towers in the Van Overbeke district, for a rent of 570 euros. The two older children, enrolled in a college in Molenbeek, only have a small table to store their school belongings and do their homework, the living room being occupied by the beds, reports La Dernière Heure.

In addition to the cramped space, the family has to deal with the dilapidation of the accommodation, the walls of which are covered with mold, causing repeated dermatological problems for the youngest of the family. With the help of a social worker, Mustapha had filed a request for a larger and more comfortable housing. But since 2012, when the family was at the top of the waiting list, they have not been able to be assigned decent housing.

"A request for larger housing was made upon the arrival of the mother and one child. They were then included on the list of 2-bedroom housing, suitable for a couple with one child. After the arrival of the two sons, in February 2024, and given their age and the regulations in force regarding social housing, the request has shifted to the waiting list for 4-bedroom housing. They are currently in 64th position," explains the Lojega company in charge of Mustapha’s housing management.

The Moroccan family has the support of Melissa Chichebor Amirkhizy, MR candidate in the municipal elections: "It’s outrageous. We have people living alone or as a couple in three-bedroom apartments and we can’t find a place for this family," she indignantly. To find emergency housing, Mustapha will have to file a request for an exemption from the waiting list. "Exemptions are very regulated but, depending on the situation, we can allow a transfer to a two or three bedroom housing while waiting," says