Martin Wagener

Concluded in June 2024, the Rights First project offered an opportunity to rethink support processes for vulnerable individuals and policies facilitating their access to social rights. With innovation at its core, the project explored new forms of partnership and proposed original approaches to strengthening social integration policies. The aim of the project is to support homeless people in Brussels through a holistic approach and focusing particularly on: Administrative registration to reactivate social rights (residential address or reference address and minimum income); Support in finding and keeping a home and integrating into the labour market.
Coordinated by Bruss’help, Rights First brought together several Brussels-based partners (DIOGENES, Hobo, L'Ilot and the New Samusocial),  in collaboration with the Federation of Public Social Welfare Centres (CPAS) and Actiris. The project also benefited from the expertise of European partners such as Crisis (United Kingdom) and St Joan de Déu Serveis Socials (Spain), who are known for their holistic approach to social support. Rights First was part of the EaSI programme (Employment and Social Innovation, 2014–2021), funded directly by the European Commission, with additional financial support from the Common Community Commission of the Brussels-Capital Region Government. Martin Wagener was in charge of the statistical follow-up and evaluation of the project. The project and final evaluation will be presented at the seminary.