Based in Antwerp in Belgium’s Flemish Region, the CURANT project houses unaccompanied young refugees aged 17-22 with young Flemish people aged 20-30. The Flemish participants volunteer to act as flatmates, or ‘buddies’, for the refugees for at least a year, helping them to integrate into society. CURANT also offers other types of assistance such as help with independent living and psychological support.
- 15 December 2017
With this initiative, we want to ensure that young refugees have the opportunity to rebuild their lives in Antwerp. Our first priority is the integration of these youngsters who, like all youngsters, deserve that extra helping hand. CURANT combines human compassion and social responsibility. We hope Antwerp can be a leading example for other cities.
CURANT is setting up 66 co-housing units by purchasing, renting and renovating properties. Accommodation arrangements take various forms, including shared two-bedroom apartments, several refugee-buddy pairs living together in one large house and occupation of 16 two-bedroom dwellings on a single site.
The units provide accommodation for 66 refugees and their 66 Flemish flatmates. By the end of the project, it is expected that a minimum of 75 and a maximum of 135 refugees and buddies will be living together. With rent set at EUR 250 per person per month, the project provides affordable housing as well as social integration for newcomers.
Support for the most vulnerable
Among the refugee population, unaccompanied minors are the most vulnerable group. However, up to the age of 18 refugees benefit from subsidised accommodation, enrolment on integration courses, education and customised training, and the support of a legal guardian.
Once they reach 18, the support ends. Often lacking qualifications and not in education, work or training, many refugees end up living in deprived areas and are at high risk of long-term dependency on social welfare. In 2016, a total of 378 unaccompanied refugees aged 17-22 were receiving benefits in Antwerp.
Antwerp is the destination for a third of all refugees arriving in Flanders. CURANT aims to provide further support to unaccompanied refugees after they reach the age of 18. The project’s integrated approach is intended to empower young refugees by developing their resilience, independence and general life skills, thus increasing their chances of fully integrating into society.
CURANT is coordinated by the Social Welfare Department of the City of Antwerp, a public institution in charge of case management and provision of social housing. During the project, the Centre for Migration and Intercultural Studies of the University of Antwerp measures the impact of the house-sharing and support on the refugees.
Other partners include: Jes vzw, a youth-oriented outreach NGO; Atlas Inburgering en Integratie, a public institution providing training and counselling to newcomers; Vormingplus Antwerpen, an NGO dealing with adult education and volunteer support; and Solentra, an NGO offering diagnostic and therapeutic support for migrant and refugee children and families.
Finding suitable buddies
One of the CURANT partners screens applicants to be buddies, finding out about their motivation and answering their questions. Successful applicants are then matched with refugees. The buddy and his or her flatmate have an informal relationship and decide for themselves what they want to do together. This can include things like help with looking for a job, learning Dutch and building a social network. Through the buddying system, CURANT aims to create social interaction on a more peer-to-peer level than that between a guardian and their ward.
Both buddy and refugee receive guidance from a social worker throughout. In the case of the refugee this includes individually tailored support related to things such as education and training, independent living, psychological counselling, leisure activities, integration and careers.
One of the main outcomes should be the creation for refugees of a network of supportive relationships enabling them to deal with the trauma they have experienced and create a good future for themselves in Antwerp. Their success in this will set an example of successful integration for others and contribute to making the community safer and more harmonious. The buddies will increase their intercultural awareness and play a vital role as representatives of a welcoming and open society.
Expertise on working with refugees acquired by the partners will enable them to further develop their working methods and fine tune future services to beneficiaries’ needs.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “CURANT - Co-housing and case management for Unaccompanied young adult Refugees in Antwerp” is EUR 6 117 879, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 4 894 303 through the “Urban Innovative Actions” Initiative for the 2014-2020 programming period.