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Let’s break down stereotypes
September 2024
Belgium has gone through a series of socio-economic crises in recent years that have had a profound impact on our society. The Resto du Cœur of Belgium have witnessed an alarming shift in the profile of their beneficiaries, reflecting the growing difficulties faced by an increasingly large segment of the population.
Life's misfortunes—job loss, illness, trauma, death—can strike at any time, making anyone vulnerable. Our new beneficiaries today include:
Students...
...struggling to make ends meet. Among them are students living in rented accommodations, forced to work part-time jobs to help their parents afford their student housing. The shortage of housing provided by the universities often forces parents to rent from private landlords at outrageously high prices. The time spent working to meet their basic needs should instead be dedicated to their academic success—a highly dangerous dilemma for passing their exams. Other students can no longer rely on parental support.
This is the case for Elisa. Facing an unbearable family situation, she had to leave her parents' home and become financially independent. Now, she is forced to juggle her studies with precarious jobs that barely cover her needs.
Single-parent families,
whose sole income is not enough to cover all the household bills, let alone school expenses and daily necessities like buying clothes for growing children or simply providing food for meals. Making ends meet is a struggle. Battered by life's twists and turns, Christine now finds herself raising her three children alone. She used to work in the hospitality industry but is no longer physically able to do so. She does not have a car and cannot afford to buy one. This severely limits her ability to find a job that is compatible with her health and her three children, whom she must drop off and pick up from school every day. Her single allowance is not enough to cover her family’s daily needs.
Retirees,
who after a lifetime of hard work, struggle daily to survive on their pensions, which are grossly insufficient given the current cost of living, so they cannot enjoy a well-deserved rest.
After working as an assistant in a bakery, Geneviève retired. She now lives alone, and her small pension doesn’t cover her financial needs so she cannot live with dignity. Overwhelmed by her bills, she had no choice but to seek help.
Young couples,
who have newly joined the labour force, are earning wages that are too low.
This is the case for Juliette and Antoine, who, although they both work, they can no longer make ends meet given the constantly rising cost of living. The first solution they found to live with dignity was to borrow money. Unfortunately, they fell into a debt spiral.