Brussels, (Brussels Morning)- The Brussels Housing Fund has inaugurated a new residential complex in the Ixelles Matonge district. 16 vulnerable families will be able to rent a house there. These are low-energy houses with an open and green courtyard. This should provide some space in the densely populated and strongly petrified district.
The construction project started five years ago and is part of the Blyckaerts district contract, which is intended to boost the quality of the public space and public facilities in the district, says BRUZZ. In concrete terms, two different buildings on Waversesteenweg, between Troonstraat and Goffartstraat, have been renovated. “With this project, the Housing Fund is renovating a number of outdated, dilapidated buildings and turning them into new, comfortable and energy-efficient homes,” said State Secretary for Housing Nawal Ben Hamou (PS).
The Fund made 14 apartments available in the first building, with one to three bedrooms. The second building has two duplexes with 3 bedrooms each.
These are low-energy houses that together also have a green courtyard. This should contrast with the busy streets of the Matongewijk. All houses have an interior space with a terrace or a private garden on the ground floor.
16 families
The Housing Fund mainly sells ‘conventional’ homes (with a price below current market prices, ed.) and provides mortgage loans. In this case, however, the 16 homes will be rented out to vulnerable families. The Housing Fund already rents to 1,430 families. “The Fund wants to provide residents with a modest income with quality and affordable housing in one of the most expensive municipalities in the Region,” adds Ben Hamou. With this project, it also wants to promote social diversity.
The municipality of Ixelles has had a long lease with the fund since 2011, as a result of which several housing projects have seen the light of day in the municipality. In total, the fund has 95 rental properties in the municipality of Ixelles.
“In addition to the 15 homes we recently opened in Jette, more than 30 new tenant families will join the Fund. We are proud that after five years we can give new families a roof,” concludes Lieve Lalemant-Scheerlinck, chairwoman of the Council of the Board of the Housing Fund.