Eric, independent from Brussels, worked for a decade in sales. But because of the covid crisis and following a romantic separation, the fifty-year-old lost everything. Destitute, the father of two children spends his nights in his vehicle. He tells us how his life changed in a few months.
“My name is Eric. I do not have anything“, begins the Brussels resident via the orange button Alert us, before detailing the facts. Iindependent for many years in the sale of ecological products, he finds himself in a difficult situation after having gone bankrupt following the crisis you covid. Now homeless, the 54-year-old sleeps in his van.
Before everything changed, Eric had been working on his own for a decade. It distributes ecological cleaning products in the catering industry, which fulfills the man who wishes to act for the environment.
Until 2019, his business is doing well, he tells us. “I had been a specialist in ecological hygiene and food safety for 10 years.“
His business is “rolling”… Eric even plans to hire staff. But at the beginning of 2020, everything collapses. The covid pandemic begins and its consequences are not long in having heavy impacts. “It was a disaster. All the restaurants closed and I lost my business.“
At the beginning, like many Belgians, Eric thinks that this situation will last 2 or 3 months. “But it took two years.”
Months pass and difficulties accumulate. The independent, whose main customers are in the horeca sector, is trying to find solutions. “I tried to sell my products in stores, in organic supermarkets. It worked a little, but it wasn’t enough.”
“I got zero cents”
Very quickly, the factories in which Eric obtains his products require him to pay cash before delivery, he says. “Before the crisis you covid, I had deadlines of 60 days. What little cash I had started to melt away like snow in the sun. My company code did not allow me to obtain financial aid from the government to pass this course, unlike the catering and other sectors. Me, I received zero cents“, says the Belgian.
At first, Eric manages to get by thanks to his savings, but the money quickly runs out. “I injected into my business, I bought products to be able to continue“.
The crisis continues and work is scarce. Eric sees his earnings divided by five. “That started to get very complicated.”
The Brussels resident says he went into depression at that time. “The decline continued. I could not any more. I no longer slept. I was just thinking about that. It was my career plan, my personal investment.“
I went from a very comfortable life to a homeless life
The difficult ordeal that Eric is going through ends up having repercussions on his private life. “In May, my partner, with whom I had been living for 5 years in Laeken, could not stand my condition. Following an argument, she threw me out.”
Eric therefore finds himself on the street overnight. He has no choice but to sleep in his van. For a few days, her little sister welcomes her home. But the latter being disabled, the situation is not suitable, explains Eric. “It was very complicated, so I returned to my vehicle.”
© Eric R.
From time to time, the 54-year-old spends the night at a friend’s house in La helper. But because of the price of fuel, these trips are occasional. “Since I have no income, I can’t afford to go there all the time.”
Most of the time, Eric parks on his old street “or a little further depending on the seats.“
© Eric R.
“I receive my daughters in the street”
Eric is the father of two daughters born from a previous union, of which he has joint custody. Homeless, he no longer has a room for his 8 and 10-year-old children when they lived with him every other week.
Since May, he has seen them from 4 to 8 p.m. after school. “I must continue to take care of my children. The mother of my daughters works and cannot pick them up from school when it is my daycare week. But II have been receiving my children on the streets or in parks for months.”
My girls do their homework in my van
During his week on call, he must manage to feed his daughters before they return to spend the night with their mother. “I feed them in my van and they do their homework there“, he details.
© Eric R.
But Eric admits it, the conditions are difficult. His daughters sometimes eat just cereal in the evening, because he cannot afford to feed them properly, he says. “I have no more money to buy food. I managed to get food parcels from the CPAS, but I have nothing to heat the dishes. I’ve been eating cold for months. Sometimes, in the evening, I give cornflakes or small sandwiches from the food parcel to my daughters.“
However, the father explains that before finding himself in this situation, he attached great importance to the meals of his children. He wanted them to eat healthily. “When I lived in the apartment, I made sure they ate a balanced diet.“
“I went from a very comfortable life to a homeless life. I sleep on a small child’s mattress. Fortunately, the mother of my daughters allows me to wash my laundry at her place so that she can be decent.”
Bankruptcy
The independent tells us that he will have to file for the balance sheet of his activity soon “and close accounts“. A situation “doubly catastrophic“, according to him, because as soon as the bankruptcy is pronounced, his vehicle will be seized. “There, I will ‘really’ find myself on the street. I contributed all these years for nothing”loose the distraught man.
Eric doesn’t know anymore”where to turn“. He seeks bank assistance, but without success.
He registers as a job seeker with Actiris and spends his days looking for work. “I put myself in a place where there is an internet connection and I apply. I send 20 to 30 emails a day and I make phone calls. It is a very difficult situation to manage. I will probably have to convert.“
He appeals to the CPAS
Before being independent for 10 years, Eric worked as an employee. He is therefore entitled to unemployment, he tells us. But as long as his case is not registered as a bankruptcy filing, “it is the CPAS which must intervene“, he specifies.
He therefore appealed to the Public Center for Social Action in Laeken in the hope of obtaining accommodation for him and his daughters and a littleargent “time to find a job“.
“I was very embarrassed to take this step, because I have worked all my life.”
But according to him, the steps to obtain help from the CPAS are long and certain details complicate the situation…
“One evening, I parked my van in front of a friend’s because he had invited me to wash myself and to be able to eat with dignity. I slept in my vehicle parked on his street. When I explained this to the CPAS, they told me that in this case, it is no longer the Laeken office that I should contact, but that of my friend’s commune.“, he says.
“And I’m still living with my ex-partner in Laeken, as long as I don’t get my reference address. They may think I still live in the apartment, but that’s not the case at all.”
“I returned to the CPAS once again to provide them with the proof that I am filing for bankruptcy, that I am in debt, that I no longer have an income, that I have children of whom I have custody for a week. On two“, says Eric who does not understand what “blocks” in his file.
What are the conditions for obtaining assistance?
After submitting his case to the Public Center for Social Action, does Eric have to stay near his old address to get help? We asked the question to the CPAS in Brussels…
“This gentleman should be able to have a reference address, which is decided according to the place where the homeless person is generally located”. This is established by a social survey carried out by a social worker, specifies the CPAS of Brussels. It is the investigation that establishes “the connecting link between a homeless person and the territory of the city of Brussels.”
The CPAS tells us that in this case, it seems that the period of leave did not allow the social worker in charge to follow the file to the end. “This is being reviewed with a view to making a decision as soon as possible..”
The Public Center for Social Action in the capital points out that it has “a proactive policy in the granting of these reference addresses, knowing that it is essential for the person to be able to move forward“.
“It’s case by case”
The city’s CPAS indicates that, in order to receive financial aid, you must have your residence in Brussels, or failing that, you must usually be there. It is necessary to demonstrate the state of need, within the framework of the social investigation. This establishes the needs and resources of households, in order to make a decision on the type and amount of assistance.
Other aid can be issued: guidance, over-indebtedness, medical card, etc. With regard to housing, the CPAS supports people in difficulty and has certain tools and capacities, in particular to guide and/or provide accommodation in difficult situations. emergency (transit accommodation, shelters, etc.). “It’s case by case.”he says.
On the other hand, the CPAS is not able to guarantee housing, adds the Public Center for Social Action.
“Regarding the situation of this gentleman, if he is in difficulty and the CPAS has not had the means to react, for any reason, he can address an urgent request for assistance to the President. If the Laeken social branch poses a difficulty of access, he can also go to the central headquarters of the Department of Social Action, to assert his rights.“, he advises.
The Brussels CPAS has seen an increase in requests since the crisis you Covid following the increase in the number of bankruptcies. This led the Public Center for Social Action to set up a specific support unit for the self-employed.
“I’m exhausted”
Exhausted, Eric tells us that he had considered the worst. “I have suicidal thoughts. I don’t know how I’m going to cope at 54. My situation is catastrophic. I never thought I would get to this situation, but le covid got the better of my activity unfortunately. I know I’m not the only one in this. I’m exhausted.”
But the father intends to fight for his daughters. They are his reason for living. He tells us that at 8 and 10 years old, they are aware of the seriousness of the situation. “They cry every time they see me. They even wanted to give me their little piggy bank to help me. I refused”, confidesil the voice betrayed by emotion. “They are adorable with me. That’s what keeps me going.”
“I would like people to understand that it can unfortunately happen to others. We are all impacted by what is happening.”
At the time of this writing, the CPAS Social Action Committee has taken a new decision on Eric’s request. Soon she’llwill be communicated via its social antenna“.