16/10/2026
“Mummy, where are we going to live?”
A mother of four in Brussels is struggling to answer her children.
She lives in a city where many families face uncertainty about whether they can remain in their homes, afford rising costs and find secure housing.
Across Europe, people are asking the same questions: Will we be able to stay? Will our children have a stable home? What happens when housing is treated as a commodity rather than a right?
Last week, we walked through Rempart des Moines, bringing together residents, housing organisations, activists, architects, urban thinkers, policymakers, journalists, artists and citizens.
We came to listen. And what we heard was difficult.
Residents spoke of social housing blocks left in limbo: homes standing empty, renovations delayed and redevelopment plans stalled for years. They described neighbours being forced to leave while buildings around them slowly emptied, and the pain of watching a community they love be dismantled without knowing what will happen next.
But we also saw the pride, solidarity and determination of people working to keep their community alive.
Because a home is more than four walls. It’s the neighbours who know your name, the streets where your children grow up and the feeling that you belong.
Renovating a neighbourhood should never mean losing the community that calls it home.
We need to bring empty buildings back into use, renovate without displacement and keep housing affordable.
🗝️ HOUSING IS A RIGHT. LET’S MAKE EUROPE ACT.
That’s what our European Citizens’ Initiative, Right to Housing – Now and Forever!, is working towards.
✍️ One million signatures. One collective call for European action.
Sign at right-to-housing.eu and help bring the right to housing onto Europe’s agenda.
Because everyone deserves more than a roof over their head. Everyone deserves a place to call home. 💜
