The Belgian citizen initiative Belrefugees announced on Sunday that its temporary emergency shelter will relocate to a sports centre in the municipality of Saint-Gilles starting Monday.
Ten days ago, Belrefugees launched a temporary emergency shelter in a gymnasium in Forest, another Brussels municipality, to help those left homeless in freezing weather.
The shelter, funded by the Brussels Region and managed by Belrefugees, accommodated up to 100 people nightly. It had been intended to operate for only ten days while a longer-term solution was sought.
The sports centre in Saint-Gilles has been secured to house the temporary shelter. This move is the result of active support from the local authorities in Saint-Gilles and the sports centre’s management, according to a Belrefugees statement.
The new facility will open its doors on Monday and will remain operational until 2 February, providing emergency overnight accommodation for 100 people.
With cold temperatures set to continue and SamuSocial’s winter shelter scheduled to open during the week of 28 January, BelRefugees, Bruss’help, and local partners have worked to ensure that urgent shelter services remain available in the meantime.
BelRefugees stressed that while these temporary measures are critical during emergencies, they cannot replace permanent solutions.
The organisation added that there is a pressing need for sustainable infrastructure and called for structural solutions rather than relying solely on civic or charitable efforts.
