Jana Verstraete

Private Renting in Social Provision: Social Rental Agencies in Western Europe

The private rental sector (PRS) plays an important role in the housing market by providing access to housing for those who are not willing or not able to enter home ownership or the social housing sector. This chapter discusses the development of Social Rental Agencies (SRAs) and similar initiatives in Belgium (Flanders) and France. It demonstrates that SRAs and similar initiatives can make a valuable contribution to the overall social and housing policy mix used to address housing exclusion. It is hoped that the experiences presented can support reflection on the policy options available for sustainably meeting housing needs in post-socialist countries.

Leaving an Institution in Flanders (Belgium): A Road to Homelessness?

Abstract People living in an institution will leave this residential context one day and have to proceed to a stable independent way of living. This transition is not without difficulties as it turns out this socially vulnerable group runs an increased risk of becoming homeless. Research in Flanders (Belgium) has shown that a considerable share of the homeless population has previously stayed in an institutional setting, mostly in youth care (48.7%), psychiatric (34.4%) and penitentiary (33.1%) institutions. Moreover, the share of homeless people with a history in one of these institutions has increased in the past decades. Institution leavers, face at least three obstacles to a stable housing situation in Flanders: a lack of affordable housing, a lack of access to (non-residential) social assistance and personal difficulties in coping with living independently. Yet, there are several programs that support institution leavers and prepare them for the transition to an independent living situation and legal developments that strengthen their position in society and on the housing market. In this paper, we explore these initiatives and developments in three case studies (Antwerp, Ghent and Leuven). Based on in-depth interviews with “street-level bureaucrats” who work in these institutions (youth care, psychiatric and penitentiary settings), social support services and social housing organizations, we reconstruct the pathways of institution leavers to the housing market, the support they receive and the experienced difficulties.

Action–reaction. Survival strategies of tenants and landlords in the private rental sector in Belgium

Abstract The private rental sector (PRS) is growing in many Western countries after a period of decline. In Belgium, a renewed policy interest in the PRS emerges and the sector is believed to play an important role in addressing housing needs of low-income households. Steering these households to the PRS is however not without problems. The supply side of the market is not necessarily willing to accommodate vulnerable renters. Landlords and real estate brokers install mechanisms to exclude financially vulnerable households throughout the entire rental procedure. These in turn develop (counter)strategies to get round the obstacles and to increase their chances. In this article, we apply an interactional perspective to study the interplay of strategies developed by both sides of the market. The article is based on 58 in-depth interviews with landlords and brokers, testimonies of low-income tenants from 15 focus groups plus 5 in-depth interviews about the influence of different discrimination grounds on their private rental experiences.