Soon the former Gesù convent, situated in the heart of the European capital Brussels, will be turned into a luxury hotel. But for now, the building is home to about 200 persons, a diverse group with many different nationalities and backgrounds. They occupied the building in 2009 thereby turning it into one of the largest squats in Europe. Living circumstances are precarious and residents live in continuous uncertainty about income generation and future housing. Nevertheless, they try to cope creatively with the challenges and find ways to build a home and take care of their families.
Soon the former Gesù convent, situated in the heart of the European capital Brussels, will be turned into a luxury hotel. But for now, the building is home to about 200 persons of which many families with children. Occupants form a diverse group with many different nationalities and backgrounds including artists, Spanish indignados, undocumented migrants and Slovak Roma families. They occupied the building in 2009 thereby turning into one of the largest squats in Europe. Two years later an agreement was signed with the owner authorizing the occupation until construction work, planned for later this year, starts. Living circumstances are precarious and residents live in continuous uncertainty about income generation and future housing. Nevertheless, they try to cope creatively with the challenges and find ways to build a home and take care of their families.