Nearly one thousand young people from families facing severe poverty are still sleeping on the streets in Brussels.
In 2024, there were 9,777 people recorded as sleeping in public spaces, including 1,678 homeless minors, according to reports on Thursday from the General Delegate for Children’s Rights (DGDE) and the Kinderrechtencommissariaat (KRC).
Despite the growing need, refusals for emergency shelter for families with children have been increasing.
Shelters are operating at full capacity, with an average of 127 people turned away each week since 6 October, reported Samusocial and Bruss’help.
The situation is expected to worsen with the closure of 245 emergency shelter spaces for families on 31 March.
The DGDE and KRC highlighted the impact of political decisions on children. They stated that public policies directly affect children, often leaving them vulnerable to unstable living conditions, overburdened shelters, and refusals from secondary accommodation options like reception centres and stabilising facilities.
These issues threaten children’s safety, health, education, and development, trapping families in a persistent state of emergency without adequate solutions.
The two organisations are calling for urgent measures. They advocate for keeping the 245 emergency shelter spaces open and ensuring no child is forced to sleep outside.
They also stress the need to develop transitional housing and reinforce access to specialised assistance, such as youth services, to provide long-term solutions for children living in crisis.
The DGDE and KRC also reminded authorities of Belgium’s commitment to ending homelessness by 2030, as outlined in the country’s signing of the Lisbon Declaration in 2021, aiming for comprehensive solutions to address homelessness.
