Chris Illegems, 31, and Cathynca Crop, also 31, are currently homeless with their three children. According to information from the Nieuwsblad, the Belgian family’s house has been declared uninhabitable. They will soon have to leave the campsite where they sleep in Middelkerke, as long-term stays are prohibited there. “We are on our own and don’t know where to go,” Chris told our colleagues.
It was last April that Chris and Cathynca learned that their home in Beringen, Flanders, was uninhabitable. A very hard blow for the couple, who have three children: Hailie, 11, Nora, 8 and Jasper, 6. Chris’ 66-year-old father was also living with them. When the family had to leave home, they were first taken in by acquaintances in Flemish Brabant, then by Chris’s sister in Bredene.
Cathynca says that after spending two weeks with Chris’ sister in Bredene, they found a caravan at a campsite in Bredene as well. But it didn’t go well at all. “The alleged owner ripped us off and went to Mexico,” says the mother. “We filed a complaint with the police. We lost the little money we had,” she laments. “We had already lost our jobs in Limburg. We currently receive allowances, but it’s not a lot,” adds Cathynca.
“People are afraid to hire us”
The couple eventually found a small studio, but the owner demanded more and more money. “We were on the street again,” says Chris. “We slept with our children in a tent in the dunes of Bredene for six days. Finally, we were arrested by the police and assigned an emergency house. We could stay there for a week,” says Chris. After that, the family found a place at a campsite in Middelkerke. “The first 17 days we lived in a tent. After which a friendly woman allowed us to use her caravan. Only, we have to leave very quickly because long stays are not authorized by law, ”adds the father of the family.
From next week, the family will be able to go to a studio, where Ukrainian families are already accommodated. “I don’t know if it’s the best solution with the children, and my stepfather can’t come, he has to go to a night shelter,” says Cathynca.
The children are educated in Middelkerke. Chris and Cathynca want to find a job, but they are waiting until they have found accommodation, “before they can find a decent job”. “I feel so lost as a mother. Our children need a stable home. People are afraid to hire us. We can afford a small house. We hope that someone with a heart of gold will have the courage to believe in us, ”says Cathynca again.