Stories

Our nurse Eva tells us the passionate story of Mrs P. and Mr T., while she was taking her first steps by Streetnurses. Her work began with marauding in the city streets and she was quickly led to follow a couple whose would turn out to be anything except ordinary...

We’ve accompanied Mr. N for several years now. Since he turned his back on street life, he’s been living in a very sober accommodation, barely decorated, which makes us think a bit of a prison cell. That’s because as a young man he was in prison for a while and that affects him still every day.

In this testimony, Lucia, a social worker, shares her first experience of rehousing by Street Nurses, when she was still a trainee. It ended in failure but it is a good illustration of the possible comings and goings before a sustainable reintegration of the homeless person.

That morning, Mr. A. opens the gate of the site where his modular home is located. We called him to announce our unexpected arrival and he quickly got ready to receive us with a broad smile. For me it’s a reunion after he moved into his module a few months ago. His salt and pepper hair is carefully brushed, his face tanned and friendly. He warmly invites us to come in and drink a cool coke.

Madame S. has been living in a train station in the Liège region for more than two years. She lives in the middle of a corridor, in the middle of the noise. She lives where people pass, sometimes standing still but always moving on. She lives there, withdrawn in a corner. You cannot see her, but you notice her smell. The kind of smell that repels, makes you gag, drives you away. Whatever, she exists.

It was with this reply by Charlie Chaplin that one of my meetings with Mr G ended. We came to see him to accompany him to the hospital, at his appointment with a specialist.

Our patient, Mrs J., moved into her flat a few months ago. She fought like a lioness to get off the streets after living there for 8 years.

We met him on the street and have been accompanying Mr. W for several years now. As far as we know his history, his life journey has always been complicated. Despite the ups and downs, Mr is determined and certainly one of the most endearing person we work with!

He was born in Brussels at the beginning of the sixties. After a burn-out and a period of severe isolation, he lived on the street for several years. Despite having a home to live in, his health is visibly deteriorating.

Mr. B. moved into his new home on a Tuesday after having lived on the street for 6 years. It’s quite visible that he’s now well established there. He receives us with a cup of coffee. Medical appointments have been made to get his health back on track. And he let us know what this home had given him: peace of mind and, physically, the possibility to get a rest.

That morning reminded me of the importance to respect everybody’s personal rhythm in the healing process. It’s essential to give Mr. F. the necessary time, without undue haste, to overcome his difficulties.

Street Nurses does fantastic work but sometimes we run into a complicated system that offers us no solutions.