Brussels homeless offered shelter for the winter

Brigitte Grouwels and Evelyne Huytebroeck, the ministers charged with helping people in need in the Brussels-Capital Region, have reached an agreement with social security organisations on providing emergency shelter for the homeless during the winter months.

The various organisations will open a night shelter this Wednesday, which will remain open until the end of March. The centre will occupy a building on the Koningsstraat owned by the social security department of Brussels City, where residents will be offered a bed, meals and toilet facilities.

The building in Koningsstraat is currently occupied by squatters who were recently evicted from the Gesu convent in Sint-Joost-ten-Node. But the Sint-Joost district hopes to find permanent homes for those evicted soon.

Brussels has gradually increased the budget spent on the winter shelter, from €92,000 in the winter of 2004-05 to the current figure of €1.1 million. The number of places has also risen sharply from 45 then to 400 now. 

City authorities also want to devote more resources to psychiatric help as well as extending the opening hours of day centres for the homeless.