We share the city with many people who have come from elsewhere, some of whom are undocumented or without valid residence permits. Many have fled difficult, sometimes dramatic situations in search of safety and new horizons, hoping for a different future. Some have just arrived. Others have been here for years. Some have children, others are children themselves. Some are born here, undocumented from the moment they are born. Others are isolated adults, young or old. Among them are people who are ill, sometimes in an advanced stage. These realities are often hidden, obscured.
Migration policies and their implementation are trapping a growing number of people in homelessness and vagrancy. Returning to their countries of origin is often not an option for these bodies and souls, worn down by years of uprooting, with no other prospect than invisibility.
Yet we pass each other every day. We breathe the same air and are part of the history of our city, our society, our humanity. We are together, here and now.
Samusocial – an emergency social organisation that helps people without accommodation, CIRÉ – Coordination and Initiatives for Refugees and Foreigners, L’Ilot, Médecins du Monde and Brussels Platform Armoede have decided to campaign together. To bear witness to the reality of people in precarious situations, supported by Samu Social, whom photographer Cédric Gerbehaye and author Caroline Lamarche invite us to meet.
Texts : Caroline Lamarche
Graphic design : Dysturb, Mathieu Persan et Chiqui Garcia
Web: Benoît Cloison
