"I can be myself at Village Point, talk to people and help people. That's what I like to do," says Heidi, who supervises at a local shop in Zandvoorde, Belgium, run by disabled people. "Everything is developed step by step with the residents and based on their questions,” she explains. “Are you less mobile and can't get to the shop? Well, a disabled worker who likes to cycle will come and deliver your shopping.”
The Village Point in Zandvoorde, Belgium, was set up by the municipality of Zonnebeke and an organisation for disabled people called De Lovie, so residents could access services locally. People can now shop in their own village, have a cup of coffee and meet their neighbours. Supplied with products from local farmers, Village Point also provides opportunities to learn digital skills, visit the library and meet politicians at Café Dialogue.
The project came out of the Caring Neighbourhoods initiative, which was launched in Flanders and Brussels in 2021 to promote social participation and inclusion across the region. The Flemish government has decided to continue 129 of the original projects until February 2025.
Participation and inclusion
The Caring Neighbourhoods framework provides an overall vision of integrated care, from primary care to specialist care, at a regional level. Its 3 core concepts are:
- neighbourhood participation and involvement;
- building links between informal and formal care; and
- welfare and care partners working with other partners in a network aimed at health and well-being, prevention, health promotion and the provision of integrated care and support with a focus on quality of life.
Each project involved a community worker putting into practice methods developed by researchers. These included a toolkit; “Resokit”, from Odisee University College for working with formal and informal networks; and a support package, “Working sustainably on caring neighbourhoods”, from Thomas More University College. All projects were supported by a consortium of more than 15 colleges, universities and intermediary organizations, coordinated by the King Baudouin Foundation. They were also the subject of a scientific study by the Policy Research Centre for Welfare, Public Health and Family.
Over the years, WHO/Europe has taken a keen interest in caring neighbourhoods, and Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, led a delegation to visit the caring neighbourhood in Dadizele, Belgium, in early 2024.