Financial accessibility of health care in an unequal social context: as practitioners, facilitators and trainers, we want our work to be dignified and adhere to a sustainable economy, as much for those with whom we work as for ourselves. To this end, we support and explore economique models that allow us to achieve our goals, searching neither for profit nor sacrifice.
For equal hours of work (paid and unpaid) in Belgium, differences in salary remain enormous. In a class society such as our own, access to resources, education, employment, housing, leisure and the impact that this access has on our health depend on complex intersections between socio-economic status, ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, ability, age and the myriad of other identities that we carry. In addition to these systemic inequalities, we each have access to different familial and community support structures; and, we are each equally unequal in the face of our personal history, our emotional baggage and our self.
Proposing different models of equitable pricing allows us to welcome communities and persons who are unable to afford approaches usually offered for profit. We offer our pricing scales without checking revenue or resources: our key principles are trust and auto-regluation.
Sliding scale pricing: a tool for economic justice
The sliding scale allows for services to be offered at different prices according to the beneficiary’s situation. We ask that everyone pays the highest amount that they can afford on the proposed scale, without placing undue stress on their finances to honor solidarity and make it viable.
Accessibility fund: the box
A donation box is available on our premises, inspired by the caffè sospeso or “pending coffee.” Caffè sospeso is a grassroots solidarity action borne in Naples in 1993 wherein a client pays for two coffees, their own and a ‘pending’ coffee that someone in need can order later.
A person may, or may not, pay for a part of their service and can dip into the donation box to reach the minimum payment of the sliding scale.
This fund was created in particular to partially or totally finance sessions for those with marginalised identities (LGBTQIA+, POC, women, etc.) or who are otherwise at a socio-economic or lived disadvantage (violence, unemployment, those without partner/family support, parents without financial support from a co-parent, etc.) and therefore have less access to support and/or care.
Conscious price, pay what you want, minimum price
Our monthly or one-off workshops follow conscious pricing, with or without a minimum pricing. Pay what you can, while valorising the labor of others.
Donation-based events
We regularly propose free or donation-based events such as introductory classes and group meditation. In lieu of a financial contributions, participants are invited to donate to the accessibility fund.