Marcela Gori Resigns from Foyer Anderlechtois Board Amid Housing Scandal

Marcela Gori (MR), vice-president of the Foyer Anderlechtois board and vice-president of the CPAS of Anderlecht, has resigned from the social housing company’s board of directors, announcing she will move to the regional level to continue her work on housing governance reform. Her resignation, announced Monday via press release, comes on the same day as the first board meeting since the arrival of a special regional commissioner tasked with overseeing the embattled company.

“I wanted to act from within. Today, I consider myself to have reached the end of what I could do at the level of the Foyer Anderlechtois. To go further, we must now act at the regional level,” Gori said in her resignation statement, as reported by RTBF.

A Career Defined by the Crisis

Gori’s departure marks the latest chapter in a governance crisis that has engulfed the Foyer Anderlechtois, one of Brussels’ largest social housing companies managing approximately 3,800 units. The MR politician, who arrived in Belgium as an undocumented immigrant at age 13 before becoming a lawyer, businesswoman, and mother of three, emerged as a vocal critic of the company’s management during the scandal that erupted earlier this year.

In March, Gori publicly denounced what she called “serious abuses” at the Foyer, including unauthorized spending on activities like free photo sessions, fries and waffle distributions, and a calendar of events for 2026. She also alleged the artificial splitting of public contracts to avoid thresholds requiring board approval, as reported by La Libre.

The Scandal That Shook Brussels Housing

The crisis traces back to May 2026, when the VRT investigative program Pano aired a report following a 1.5-year investigation accusing Lotfi Mostefa (PS), president of the Foyer Anderlechtois and Anderlecht housing alderman, of clientelism and favoritism in social housing allocations. The report alleged that Mostefa’s former secretary was asked to compile lists of 800-900 housing beneficiaries to contact them for electoral support during the October 2024 municipal elections.

The Brussels public prosecutor’s office subsequently opened an investigation, and in late May, searches were conducted at the Foyer’s headquarters, the commune of Anderlecht, and Mostefa’s home, as reported by DH. The VRT confirmed this was the fourth investigation involving the Foyer.

An SLRB-commissioned audit, published in April, revealed systemic governance failures: a president too involved in daily management, no rent arrears reminders sent in 2024, and 208 of 261 analyzed invoices lacking competitive bidding or approved purchase orders, as documented by DH.

Political Turmoil and Institutional Response

The scandal triggered a parliamentary commission of inquiry at the Brussels Parliament, which concluded in July with 26 recommendations aimed at strengthening transparency and depoliticizing social housing allocations. The recommendations included prohibiting individual interventions by administrators in allocation files and banning political representatives from accessing the regional candidate database.

The board itself became a battleground. In June, the board voted to temporarily suspend Mostefa, with Gori serving as interim president. However, in July, Mostefa was re-elected as president by a narrow majority, a decision Gori publicly contested, arguing that “a discussion does not equal a vote” in a statement to La Libre.

In mid-July, the Brussels government appointed a special commissioner to take control of the Foyer for four months, on the proposal of State Secretary for Housing Karine Lalieux (PS). The commissioner was given broad powers to convene board meetings, set agendas, and report to the SLRB and government.

A New Role at the Regional Level

Gori’s resignation letter was sent to the Foyer on Monday, though she will continue to sit on the board until replaced. The MR party will propose a new administrator, who must be validated by the communal council.

Her new role as administrator of the SLRB (Societe du Logement de la Region de Bruxelles-Capitale), the regional supervisory body for all Brussels social housing companies, positions her to influence reform across the entire sector.

“The problem goes beyond the Foyer Anderlechtois. We must strengthen controls, guarantee transparency of decisions, and give the supervisory authority the means to truly act,” Gori said, as reported by BX1.

“Each social housing unit must be allocated in accordance with the rules. Each public euro must be justifiable. When a malfunction is identified, it must be corrected. This is the requirement I will now bring to the SLRB,” she added.

What’s Next

Gori’s resignation signals a strategic shift from internal reform efforts to regional-level advocacy. Her move to the SLRB comes at a critical juncture, as the special commissioner’s four-month mandate runs through November and the 26 parliamentary recommendations await implementation across all Brussels SISPs.

“The recommendations from the commission of inquiry must be applied concretely and in the same way in all Brussels SISPs,” Gori stated, emphasizing the need for consistent reform across the sector.

The timing of her departure - coinciding with the first board meeting under the special commissioner’s oversight - suggests a deliberate transition as the Foyer enters a new phase of regional supervision. The MR’s choice of replacement will be closely watched, as will the board’s ability to function under the commissioner’s mandate.

For Gori, who has described her journey from undocumented immigrant to elected official as a testament to Belgium’s capacity for integration, the move to the SLRB represents both an elevation and a continuation of her fight for accountable governance in Brussels’ social housing sector. Her profile, highlighted by the MR, reflects a trajectory that has made her one of the most recognizable figures in the ongoing reform effort.

As the Foyer Anderlechtois navigates its path forward under regional supervision, Gori’s departure marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another - one in which she will seek to ensure that the lessons of the scandal translate into systemic change across all of Brussels’ social housing companies.