As freezing conditions are forecast for Belgium, additional shelter spaces for homeless persons are opened in Brussels. Of those 155 extra places, 120 are reserved for single men. The remaining are for families (25) and in medical centres (10). Brussels'Help will run them, together with the French-speaking Red Cross and Samusocial.

100 places are foreseen in a temporary Red Cross centre which opens today in Anderlecht. The centre will remain operational for at least 1 month (renewable depending on weather conditions), and will offer accommodation to isolated men. Space “reservations” are made by telephone via the free Samusocial dispatching number (0800/99.340). 

The other additional places come under Samusocial. They come in addition to an increase in capacity already carried out in November in anticipation of winter. 25 new places reserved for families have been added to the Auderghem family accommodation centre, and 20 places for isolated men have opened in the Samusocial reception centre in Anderlecht. Here, only people considered particularly vulnerable can hope to settle in immediately for several days. For others, the principle is to have to go back to dispatch every day if they want a bed for the following night.

The additional places add up to the 5,045 places offered all year round in Brussels. Aid organisations point out that the extra spaces that come with the cold plan fall far short of meeting the needs of homeless persons in Brussels. In fact, the latest count of “homelessness and poor housing” published by Bruss’Help in June, based on data from November 2022, identified just over 7,000 people without a lasting solution for clean housing in Brussels.

When the cold plan is active, some Brussels train stations remain open around the clock to serve as a place where the homeless can keep warm. Also the Brussels public transport company, Stib, is more tolerant of people “wandering” in its stations.

Bruss’Help calls on citizens to act if they find themselves faced with an apparently vulnerable person, either by calling the Samusocial number (0800/99.340) or medical emergencies (112) if this seems necessary. The Red Cross is also intensifying its street tours, carried out in Brussels by 250 volunteers.

For further information, please read the following press releases: “The extreme cold plan activated this Monday in Brussels: here are the measures taken to help the homeless” or “Brussels homeless organisations brace for cold spell”.