A church in one of the impoverished areas of Belgium’s Flanders region has been transformed into a multi-functional facility: a ‘Jewel in a Poor Neighbourhood’. The new building, in the Rabot-Blaisantvest neighbourhood of Ghent, opened in October 2019. It is now being used by community organisations that provide support to young people, refugees, elderly citizens and the disabled. A process of consultation and participation ensured the local community was involved in the development.
- 31 August 2020
The transformation of a modern church into a multifunctional facility was made possible through consultation with and the participation of two congregations, neighbourhood and the city. This project was run exclusively by volunteers. All stakeholders are proud of the result!
After the scheme’s architect was selected through a competition, renovation and conversion works were carried out in three phases in a way that respected the existing structure. The first task was to renovate the bell tower, an important local landmark. Then came the main refurbishments of the building. Finally, the multi-functional space was developed. It has a reception/bar area, a kitchen, two meetings rooms, a technical room and adapted infrastructure.
Some existing rooms were renovated for community use. Volunteers from the church congregations and wider community did much of the work. As a final touch, the church’s name was changed from Maria Gorettikerk to Blaisantkerk.
Meeting local needs
The project has helped to meet a huge need for meeting places in the community. It also complements other work in the area, including the construction of an outdoor terrace and development of a neighbourhood park behind the church.
A special programme has been launched to encourage groups to use the building as a hub for local initiatives. Another aim is to attract city level, non-commercial activities to the venue, such as concerts, theatre productions and seminars.
Volunteers take the lead
Previously the church was only used on Sundays by two local congregations – one catholic, the other protestant. Thanks to the project, the new facility is now used throughout the week.
A non-profit organisation called DOIC took the lead in driving the project, with the help of city authorities. DOIC is run exclusively by volunteers and was formed from the church’s two congregations.
A Jewel in a Poor Neighbourhood was developed through the city of Ghent’s ‘Bridges to Rabot’ strategic programme, which aims to improve social cohesion within this impoverished neighbourhood.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “A Jewel in a Poor Neighbourhood” is EUR 724 940, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 289 982 through the “Flanders” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Social Inclusion”.