Homeless crisis: 750 sleeping on streets, mayors ignore call for emergency shelters

The mayors of several Brussels municipalities have failed to reply to a request from the Brussels region to offer vacant buildings as crisis shelters for the homeless, as an estimated 750 people are left sleeping on the streets during what has recently been an especially cold winter.

In many cases, Bruzz reports, the approval of the mayor of the municipality in which the building is located plays a major role.

“Only the municipalities of Ixelles and Forest responded to our call for projects,” said outgoing minister Alain Maron (Ecolo), who is responsible for homeless shelters in the Joint Community Commission (CCC).

“For example, Ixelles proposed the Charles Janssens secondary school until the school holidays and the Albert Demuyter municipal sports hall, which currently accommodates 80 people,” Maron said.

This lack of response from other mayors comes despite repeated insistence in mid-December and two meetings with the entire conference of mayors.

About 30 possible buildings were rejected as they were considered unsuitable for accommodation. One of these was an empty government office by the canal, near where around 100 people, mostly single men, are sleeping in tents outside a humanitarian hub.

The federal owner, the Buildings Agency, offered the WTC 4 tower to the Brussels administration Bruss'Help as a homeless centre in the autumn and it was inspected by the Red Cross, which concluded that the building was unsuitable due to a lack of showers.

“Installing modular sanitary facilities would require extra time and, moreover, extra resources,” said Bruss'Help spokesperson Eva Salman, who did not wish to elaborate on the exact budget for this year’s Extreme Cold Plan for emergency homeless shelters in Brussels.

For several years now, all other homeless shelters have been incorporated into a single central masterplan that runs throughout the year.

The WTC 4 building was one of around 30 other properties throughout the region that did not meet Bruss'Help's selection criteria.

“This concerns both public and private buildings,” said Salman.

“Each emergency shelter must have space for 50 to, ideally, 200 people, either in rooms or as a single multipurpose space. In addition, there must be functional heating that can be activated quickly, sanitary facilities with toilets and showers, and the building must be fire-safe and technically compliant.”

This list is not set out anywhere in writing and some experts doubt whether these criteria formally exist.

“Other considerations may be at play,” said social policy and homelessness expert Koen Hermans (KU Leuven).

“Since the federal government has cut funding for winter shelters, cities and municipalities have to pay for them with more of their own resources.

"So it’s not always clear who’s responsible for winter shelters: the local or regional government. As a region, Brussels has many good ambitions, but if there are no budgets to match, their masterplan is nothing more than window dressing."

Even when places are found, they are often temporary. Bruss'Help pulled together 95 emergency spots, but they could close as early as this week.

Salman said that sufficient accommodation has been found for 285 women and families until March.

The most difficult demographic to provide shelter to remains single men, for whom Bruss'Help is still seeking more than 80 places.

In the meantime, while emergency placements open and close, Brussels continues to face an acute shortage of shelter places for homeless people during the severe winter cold spell and dozens of people are turned away every day.

The region’s Extreme Cold Plan was reinforced earlier this month as an emergency measure, allowing for temporary accommodation of 202 additional places to be opened for a period of 10 days.

The measure was activated by the Brussels region in consultation with Bruss'help and several operators in the field.

Teams on the ground remain short-staffed and the associations involved in the cold weather plan are launching an urgent appeal for individuals to get involved in order to ensure the reception, supervision and smooth running of a temporary facility in Forest.

Volunteers are needed immediately as low temperatures pose a life-threatening risk to people forced to sleep outside.

The authorities remind residents that they can play a role during periods of extreme cold. Anyone who sees someone sleeping outside or who appears to be in difficulty can contact the Bruss'help freephone number (0800 99 340), available 24 hours a day, to alert the outreach teams. In case of immediate danger, it is recommended to call 112.

Residents can also provide practical support to associations active in the field, such as Samusocial and the Red Cross, by donating warm clothing and blankets or by volunteering throughout the winter period.