The A.I.S.U.: 25 years of experience

The Social Real Estate Agency of Uccle (A.I.S.U.) is a crucial tool for Uccle’s housing policy. It manages around 250 mostly privately-owned housing units, making them available at low rent to people in precarious economic and/or social situations. Meanwhile it guarantees owners a regular income and the proper upkeep of their property. Compared with “classic” social housing, these units have the significant advantage of not being identifiable as such nor concentrated in a single location. The social dimension of the A.I.S.U.´s activity is essential and it works closely with various social services, particularly those of the municipality and the Public Social Assistance Centre (C.P.A.S.) of Uccle. 

At the same time the A.I.S.U. is also a highly flexible instrument that enables the creation of one-off, innovative projects to house particularly vulnerable groups, such as homeless people in “Housing First” programmes, former inmates, young LGBTQIA+ people rejected by their families because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, women who have suffered domestic or intra-family violence, or people with motor or mental disabilities. It can also set up intergenerational housing.

Additionally, by helping property owners, social real estate agencies (A.I.S.) promote the renovation of buildings in Brussels and the improvement of their energy performance.

Finally, with the ambition of having a thorough social approach, the A.I.S.U. also aims to contribute to the socio-professional insertion of jobseekers in difficult situations and to participate in the work-linked training sector.       

Active since 2000, the non-profit association A.I.S.U. is accredited and subsidized by the Brussels-Capital Region and is a member of F.E.D.A.I.S. (the Federation of social real estate agencies in the region).

We work together with a network of social services on the basis of partnership agreements : the Uccle C.P.A.S., as well as associations dealing with integration through housing, neighbourhood centres, shelters, psycho-social centres and youth support services.

Our Goals

The social aim of the A.I.S.U. is to provide access to decent housing at a rent commensurate with people’s income.

This involves namely:

1. Taking over the management of housing units to offer them for rent to people in precarious economic and/or social situations;
2. Responding to the needs of A.I.S.U. tenants in terms of housing information and education, and guaranteeing, within the means of the A.I.S.U., social support;
3. Studying, promoting, organizing and coordinating any activity likely to help the population of Uccle in precarious housing situations;
4. Implementing or promoting any type of action aimed at improving housing in the Brussels region, in particular by reallocating empty buildings to housing.

The association also pursues the social goal of socio-professional integration of jobseekers in difficult situations and in particular those who are not (or no longer) entitled to full unemployment benefits.