L'Etape

What L'Etape does

L'Etape ASBL is a Belgian non-profit (Association Sans But Lucratif, enterprise No. 0416 171 372) founded in 1976 in Tournai, Belgium, that delivers a coordinated portfolio of social services for homeless and vulnerably housed individuals and families in the Tournai/Mouscron region of Wallonia. The organization holds three formal agréments from the Walloon Region: Maison d'Accueil (emergency shelter), Association de Promotion du Logement (APL, since 2011), and Initiative d'Economie Sociale (since August 2020). Its core operations comprise four interlinked services: (i) the Maison d'accueil, a 24-bed shelter open 24/7/365 at Rue du Sondart 17, Tournai, with a dedicated PMR room and two emergency beds for domestic-violence victims (sheltered 61 adults and 11 children in 2024); (ii) L'Etap'Atelier, a small woodworking workshop at Rue Paul Pastur 83b producing custom wine crates, beer boxes, displays, and gift packaging for regional breweries, wine merchants, chocolatiers, delicatessens, florists and event venues, employing vulnerable workers under article 60 CPAS contracts and CISP traineeships via AID L'Escale; (iii) L'Etap'Logement / Gestion locative, which manages 29 housing units for 15 property owners and accompanies 133 post-shelter households with social and budgetary support at Rue des Croisiers 22; and (iv) L'Etap'Médiation, a debt-mediation service launched with Walloon Region recognition and Ministerial engagement in March 2025.

The underlying technology stack is minimal and human-centric: physical shelter infrastructure, manual woodworking equipment (Robland saw/planer-thicknesser machines funded via donors including the Lion's Tournai Cathédrale), a WordPress-based website at www.letape.be, and Vimeo/YouTube-hosted video testimonials. There is no proprietary software, API, or app. Revenue mechanics are multi-stream and non-commercial in nature: (a) public subsidies and conventions from the Walloon Region covering shelter operations; (b) reduced-rate rental management fees from private property owners (rents up to 30% below market in exchange for social accompaniment of tenants); (c) direct sales of L'Etap'Atelier wood products to commercial clients; (d) donations from individuals, foundations (Fondation Roi Baudouin, Fonds Vinci), service clubs (Rotary Tournai Trois Lys, multiple Lions Clubs), and corporate donors (Cera FR, Colruyt); and (e) food recovery partnerships with the Banque Alimentaire de Tournai-Mons and Colruyt. Services to beneficiaries are provided free of charge; donors receive fiscal attestation for contributions of €40 or more. The organization is governed by a Conseil d'Administration (President Jacques Brotcorne, Secretary Philippe De Coninck, Treasurer Fernand Semet) under Director Quentin Ervyn, with a headcount of approximately 19 paid staff (17 ETP) supplemented by 15 volunteers and 5 article 60 CPAS workers.

Name

L'Etape

Legal name

L'Etape ASBL

Website

https://letape.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

L'Etape ASBL is a Belgian non-profit founded in 1976 in Tournai, operating a 24-bed emergency shelter, social housing accompaniment (133 households), rental management (29 units), debt mediation, and a woodworking workshop that employs vulnerable adults under CPAS article 60 contracts across the Tournai/Mouscron region of Wallonia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services and Homeless Shelter

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Other Community Housing Services (624229), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

Keywords

• Homeless shelter services
• Social housing support
• Debt mediation services
• Vocational rehabilitation
• Woodworking workshop

Headquarters

HQ city

Tournai

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Social Services / Public Grants: L'Etape operates primarily as a publicly-funded non-profit. Core funding comes from conventions with the Walloon Region (Région Wallonne) covering shelter operations. Additional revenue includes rental management fees from property owners, donations from individuals, foundations, service clubs (Rotary, Lions), and corporate donors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

L'Etape ASBL operates a 24-bed emergency shelter (Maison d'accueil) for homeless men, women, and families in Tournai, open 24/7/365, alongside three complementary programs: a small woodworking workshop (L'Etap'Atelier) producing custom wooden packaging and displays for regional food/beverage businesses that also functions as a vocational rehabilitation site for sheltered adults; a social housing accompaniment service (L'Etap'Logement) providing housing follow-up, budget co-management, and rental management for property owners; and a debt mediation service (L'Etap'médiation) for over-indebted households in the Tournai/Mouscron region.

Product overview

L'Etape is a unified social services organization offering a coordinated portfolio of four interconnected services: the Maison d'accueil (24-bed emergency shelter for homeless individuals and families), L'Etap'Atelier (a small woodworking workshop providing vocational rehabilitation), L'Etap'Logement (social housing support and rental management), and L'Etap'médiation (debt mediation). The organization acts as a 'Maison d'accueil et Association de Promotion du Logement' and Initiative d'Economie Sociale, all operating under a single asbl structure to support vulnerable populations in the Tournai/Mouscron region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Maison d'accueil L'Etape Emergency and transitional shelter providing 24-hour, 365-day accommodation for homeless men, women, and families, including victims of domestic violence. Capacity is 24 beds including a room for persons with reduced mobility (PMR) and 2 beds reserved for domestic-violence emergencies. Located in the heart of Tournai.
• L'Etap'Atelier (Caisserie woodworking workshop) Small woodworking workshop producing custom wooden products — wine and beer crates, gift baskets, displays, and bespoke packaging — for breweries, delicatessens, wine merchants, car-drinks, chocolatiers, florists, and event venues. Doubles as a vocational rehabilitation site that re-introduces sheltered adults and CPAS article 60 workers to work rhythms and trains AID L'Escale CISP trainees in an up-to-18-month woodworking formation program with enterprise internship.
• L'Etap'Logement (Association de Promotion du Logement) Social housing support service providing post-hébergement (post-shelter follow-up), housing accompaniment, financial/budget co-management, and rental mediation for households exiting the shelter in the Tournai and Mouscron region.
• L'Etap'médiation (Debt Mediation) Debt mediation service providing individual consultations to over-indebted households to help them resolve debts, avoid eviction, and recover financial stability. Consultations are held Wednesday mornings by appointment only.
• Gestion locative de logements (Rental Management for Property Owners) Rental management service for private property owners. L'Etape assumes management of their properties, screens tenants, handles maintenance, ensures regular rent payment, and leases at controlled rents (up to 30% below market) to accompanied households transitioning out of shelter. As of March 2025, 29 housing units are managed for 15 property owners.
• Rénovation de bâtiments (Building Renovation Program) Building renovation service helping private property owners in Tournai/Mouscron renovate vacant buildings into housing, accessing Walloon Region financing covering up to €54,000 for renovation work and €24,300 for energy-saving improvements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 61 adults and 11 children sheltered in 2024; 133 households accompanied in housing; 29 units managed; 4 carpentry trainees in training

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CPAS TournaicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPAS Tournai provides article 60 contracts enabling L'Etap'Atelier to employ vulnerable workers. Collaboration has placed 3 persons under article 60 contracts (2 as carpentry workers, 1 as household aide). CPAS President Laetitia Liénard visited the workshop to meet employees.
• Banque Alimentaire de Tournai-MonscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerL'Etap' is agréée by the Banque Alimentaire and weekly collects food products for distribution to post-housing accompaniment beneficiaries. Partnership also involves recovering unsold goods from local Colruyt stores.
• ColruytminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColruyt donates unsold food products recovered weekly by L'Etap' for redistribution to sheltered and post-housing households.
• AID L'EscalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCISP (Centre d'Insertion Socio Professionnel) partnership: L'Etap'Atelier now hosts trainees from AID L'Escale in a woodworking formation program of up to 18 months, culminating in an enterprise internship. Marks a new vocational training dimension.
• Régie de Quartier Citoyenneté de MouscronminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvided trainee labor for renovation projects (demolition and finishing work), giving vocational training context to unemployed workers while supporting L'Etap' building projects.
• Entreprise Vanovertveldt D&GminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction company that undertook renovation work for L'Etap' housing projects (Dottignies station house), contributing at below-market cost as a 'good work' contribution to the community.
• Bureau d'architectes Lamarche-WantierminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitectural firm led by Quentin Lemarche, initially working pro bono to develop the renovation dossier for the Dottignies station house project.
• Œuvres du Doyenné de Tournai / MouscronminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParish works organization owning vacant properties that partnered with L'Etap' to renovate buildings into modest-rent housing for vulnerable families. Multiple joint projects in Dottignies.
• Agence Ideta (Agence intercommunale de développement)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntercommunal development agency whose Valeurs group organized a Shoe Box Christmas gift action for L'Etap' exterior service beneficiaries, coordinated by former AG member Stephanie Huvenne.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Centre de Médiation de Dettes de la Province de Hainaut: Provincial/public debt-mediation service in Hainaut (the province containing Tournai) offering over-indebtedness mediation services comparable to L'Etap'Médiation. Regional player rather than direct competitor given different funding/governance structure.

Direct peers

• Les Petits Riens: Brussels ASBL providing emergency housing, second-hand social enterprise, and reintegration programs for vulnerable populations. Comparable via its integrated shelter + work-integration model mirroring L'Etape's Maison d'accueil + L'Etap'Atelier approach.
• Relais Social de Charleroi: Walloon ASBL coordinating emergency shelter and social services for homeless populations in the Charleroi area. Comparable as a Walloon regional non-profit delivering shelter + social accompaniment to vulnerable populations with public funding.
• Infirmiers de Rue: Belgian ASBL providing outreach, medical care, and shelter/housing accompaniment to people experiencing homelessness in Brussels and beyond. Comparable as a Belgian non-profit delivering shelter + social reinsertion to vulnerable populations with public funding.
• Samusocial Bruxelles: Brussels public-interest ASBL delivering emergency shelter, housing, and social services to homeless and precarious populations. Directly comparable in mission (shelter + reintegration) though operating at much larger scale in Brussels.
• ATD Quart Monde Belgique: Belgian branch of the international movement combating extreme poverty through housing, social accompaniment, and community programs. Comparable as a non-profit delivering housing support and social reintegration for vulnerable households in Belgium.
• La Porte Verte (Centre d'hébergement Suzanne Van Calcken): Brussels-based ASBL operating emergency shelters and housing-first programs for homeless adults and families in Belgium. Directly comparable as a Wallonia/Brussels shelter ASBL holding public agréments and delivering emergency housing + reintegration services.

Emerging players

• DoucheFLUX: Belgian social enterprise providing hygiene facilities and social reinsertion services (showers, laundry) for homeless populations in Brussels, with a training/integration component. Comparable as a small social-economy ASBL using service-delivery to fund reintegration, parallel to L'Etap'Atelier's model.

Broad incumbents

• Croix-Rouge de Belgique: Belgian Red Cross operates reception centers, housing support, and social services nationally including for homeless and asylum populations. A much larger incumbent delivering comparable emergency shelter + social assistance services across Belgium.
• CAW Groep (Centrum Algemeen Welzijnswerk): Flemish umbrella network of welfare centers delivering shelter, housing support, debt mediation, and crisis intervention across Flanders. Comparable in service breadth (shelter, debt mediation, social accompaniment) but broader and Flemish-region focused versus L'Etape's Walloon regional ASBL model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LEtapeasbl

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about L'Etape