Watch: The team on a mission to eradicate homelessness in Belgium
Musti Önlen founded Homie, an organisation that takes a holistic approach to eradicating homelessness.
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00:00I think that one person that's homeless, that's too much.
00:03My idea was, okay, I know homeless youngsters.
00:07I had a friend who was giving away a caravan for free.
00:10I just put the youngster in the caravan and I can help this individual.
00:18But it was not so easy because what a person actually really needs
00:21is not only for the housing part, but also for the welfare.
00:25My name is Misty Onnen.
00:27I am the founder and coordinator of the non-profit organization HOMELESS.
00:44In Europe, homelessness is a big problem.
00:47We just had a counting of the homeless people here in Belgium.
00:51If you see the figures, 20,000 of them are younger than 25.
00:55I believe that's something we cannot accept.
00:59HOMIE is an organization for young homeless adults between 18 and 25 years old.
01:04We give shelter, work, welfare.
01:07Five years ago, I put a caravan in a neighborhood.
01:11I asked the neighbors, can you also do something for a young homeless individual?
01:16And they were like, oh, I can cook, I can do the laundry.
01:20You can come at my place in the evening on Tuesday to play games.
01:24And it really started out as a big community.
01:26Every time the person who was staying in the caravan had a question,
01:30he just put it in the WhatsApp group and it was the neighbors who immediately gave support.
01:35It was a feeling of solidarity that I've created.
01:39It was so heartfelt.
01:47This is my home. I got this from Mustief.
01:49It's a little caravan. I got everything I need.
01:52I got a sofa, I got a bed, I got furniture, everything.
01:55I lost my job. I couldn't pay rent, I couldn't pay my bills.
01:59Then I got evicted and, yeah, a few days on the street.
02:03Mentally, it wasn't going well with me.
02:06There was no one to rely on. I had nobody.
02:09It was tough. I'm glad I don't have to do that anymore.
02:12I'm really glad I met him.
02:15The most important thing that I can provide to my kids is proximity.
02:20They can contact us 24-7.
02:23They can tell me everything, so I'm really open to them as well.
02:27If I know what's going on in their minds, I can support them where and when they need it.
02:34My passion of working with the Stargate Group is because of my own experience.
02:39When I was 15, I got homeless.
02:41The hardest part was insecurity.
02:43I didn't know where to go.
02:45I got a lot of support from the youth care system, but sometimes it's not enough.
02:49It's not easy to provide because the system is already full.
02:54When I was 18, I had to leave the system.
02:56I had to leave the youth care system.
02:58The system is already full.
03:00When I was 18, I had to leave the system.
03:02I had to live on my own.
03:04It doesn't mean that you're an adult and that you can handle life.
03:07I've actually made a big difference on a policy level, together with other organizations as well.
03:17Now, the youth care system is accessible for youngsters still the age of 25.
03:22We are so innovative, and we are always looking for solutions.
03:26With hotels, with foster care families, and our caravans, that's something out of the box.
03:33The mission of our non-profit organization is to make sure that the youngster doesn't have to sleep for one night on the street.
03:40Even one night of being on the street can cause multiple traumatic experiences.
03:46It's all about growing up in a warm nest.
03:50The most they need right now is a safe place.
03:55They don't feel like they're all alone.
03:59I've been a member of HOMIE for one and a half years now.
04:03Right now, Valeska is with me.
04:07We have a lot in common.
04:09I listen to her story, but of course I can't say anything.
04:14Now, we have five houses, three caravans, 12 foster care families who give shelter in their own homes.
04:28And we have partnerships with hotels and with multinationals as well, who can help them in the life domain of work.
04:35We have a barber shop that cuts the hair of our youngsters.
04:40It's really important because you feel good, you feel shiny.
04:44It's like a confidence boost.
04:46It's not only to cut my hair.
04:48You have a good conversation with someone, it's socializing.
04:51You come in the city, you see people.
04:54I was afraid of that three months ago.
04:56Rusty helped me with every part of my life.
04:58He fixed all my papers, documentations, which you need to work.
05:02After that, he helped me search a job.
05:05Tomorrow, I have a job interview.
05:07Tomorrow, I have a job interview.
05:09It's life-changing.
05:11I see that my youngsters grow in such a quick time, and that they feel good when they are staying with us.
05:17He can breathe again, he can smile again.
05:20It makes me happy as well.
05:22I think the most important thing is that they just try to do their best.
05:28I don't see this as my job.
05:31This is my life, this is my passion.
05:34I'm happy that we can build our organization into the needs of the target group.
05:39To be honest, I actually would like that we can shut HOMIE,
05:42because that would mean that they are not young homeless persons anymore.