Half a million Flemings pay too much of income for housing
Housing is becoming too expensive for more and more residents of Flanders, as the numbers paying more than 40% of their incomes on rents and mortgages continues to increase
Poverty rate one of best in EU
The numbers have been continually growing, from 400,000 in 2010 to 440,000 in 2011 to 510,000 in 2012, the latest year for which figures are available. In 2012, there were 380,000 people in arrears on loans for housing and/or utilities, as well as other housing-related loans such as for furniture or household equipment.
According to the Monitor, which has been produced annually since 2010 by the government of Flanders, 11% of the population is living under the poverty line, which is 60% of the median income for the region: €1,002 a month for a single person and €2,104 for a couple with two children. That accounts for 680,000 people, up from 610,000 in 2011. Of the total, 90,000 people were living below the poverty line despite having a full-time job.
One in three of those living in poverty is older than 65, and growing old is the greatest risk factor for landing in poverty; the other main factors are being born in a country outside the EU and a low level of education. The report shows that poverty tends to be hereditary: children from poor families have a greater chance of ending up living in poverty themselves.
Flanders' figures are better than most, however: Its 11% poverty rate is well below the EU average of 17%. Only the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, both at 10%, fare better. Flanders’ goal, laid out in its 2020 Pact, is to reduce the number of people living in poverty to 430,000 by 2020 – a reduction on the latest figure of 250,000.
Photo by Alan Hope
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