The Brussels organisation for the homeless and asylum seekers, Samusocial, is urging the general public to join a protest on 18 August against the planned closure of 1,000 emergency accommodation places in the city.
Samusocial said it had to refuse shelter for 244 out of the 299 families which requested it in July. That is an increase of 83.5% compared with June.
Those families included 238 children, among them 65 aged under two and 15 infants younger than six months. Children account for a quarter of the people in Samusocial’s network.
The organisation said it is seeing a strong and sustained rise in requests for shelter, particularly from families. However, it warned that the resources available to accommodate them are insufficient.
At the same time, 1,555 people are on the waiting list for an emergency place in the shelter network through the refugee organisation BelRefugees.
In July, the federal government announced plans under the Brussels Deal to cut 1,000 shelter places. Aid organisations say the move will only increase homelessness in the capital.
They criticised the decision for being taken without consultation and warned it could lead once again to tent camps, along with the health crises and social tensions that often follow.
The organisations are urging the federal government to reverse its decision. Several Brussels groups working with homeless people and refugees, including BelRefugees, the Bico federation, Samusocial and the Federation of Shelters and Services for the Homeless (AMA), will join the street protest on 18 August.
