The Brussels Government is on a mission to make the region more liveable, however the rising cost of housing raises the question of who will be able to afford to live there....
Ans Persoons
Many Brusselers keep this city in motion every day, in many ways and far from the spotlight. But what they do is essential to Brussels’ urban fabric. As politicians it is our job to make sure that Brussels embraces them: that everyone has access to affordable, decent housing and earns enough to live carefree, in a safe city that gets the best out of people and helps them get their lives back on track when they are going through a rough patch.

Career
Ans Persoons has been alderwoman in the City of Brussels for 10 years. Under Mayor Philippe Close, she was in charge of Urbanism, Public Space and Dutch-language Education.
Ans was elected in 2018 with her own political project: change.brussels. This movement later merged into one.brussels.
Since June 2023, Ans is working as State Secretary in the Brussels Government. She succeeded Pascal Smet and is now continuing on a larger scale what she loves and is good at: building the city of tomorrow.
Ans was born in Antwerp (°1979). She studied history in Ghent (UGent) and Political Sciences in Paris (Sciences Po Paris). She has been living in Brussels for 20 years now.
After 10 years in the pentagon area, Ans moved to Laeken a few years ago. Her partner is a Briton and together they have two daughters. Frances (°2014) & Robyn (°2017).
What if living in Brussels were affordable for everyone?
Renting and buying is far too expensive in Brussels. Too many people sleep on the streets or cannot find decent housing. Even those professionals who make Brussels run, like teachers, nurses, catering workers, ... are being pushed out of the city. We think that everyone who wants to live in Brussels should be able to, in an affordable way. We want to tackle this together.
What makes you happy?
Days when anything goes.
My children when they make each other laugh.
Cycling through Tour & Taxis park on a sunny day and seeing Brussels at its best: birthday parties with flags among the trees, couples in love secretly meeting on a bench, people playing music together and passers-by spontaneously starting to dance, circus athletes balancing on a tightrope, girls playing football, children playing freely. All together in one park.
Your dearest possession?
Everything of value is fragile. I love my daughters to death but I don't own them: parenthood is one big lesson in letting go.
News
one.brussels – Vooruit wil af van wurgcontracten in horeca
We willen komaf maken met de ongezonde afhankelijkheid van horecazaken in het bezit van brouwerijen. Daarom dienen we in het Vlaams en Brussels...
De 1 mei viering was een spetterend succes!
Speeches in Molenbeek De dag startte in Evere met een ontbijt en daarna waren er de speeches in Molenbeek. Schepen Jef Van Damme verwelkomde...
Our people
Hannelore Goeman
Group leader in the Flemish Parliament
Pascal Smet
Fractieleider in het Brussels parlement
Els Rochette
Brussels MP
Bert Anciaux
Senator
Saliha Raïss
Alderwoman in Molenbeek
Anaïs Maes
Alderwoman in Brussels
Willem Stevens
Alderman in Sint-Gilles
Bieke Comer
Alderwoman in Anderlecht
Lydia Dujardin – Desloover
Alderwoman in Sint-Joost-ten-Node
Dirk Lagast
President of the CPAS Council in Koekelberg