Due to subsidy cuts, the Brussels-Capital Region has decided to cut 300 homeless shelter places by the end of May, despite the region's homeless population recently reaching record levels.
The homeless organisation Samusocial will be losing 300 spots to shelter homeless people following a decision by the Region to reduce subsidies to the level they were at before the pandemic, according to reports from Bruzz.
As a result, the number of available shelter spaces will be gradually reduced from 970 to 640 places by the end of May — originally it was expected to be decreased to 540, but the region agreed to keep 100 places for families open longer — despite there being some 6,000 homeless people in the region.
The region is implementing this decision despite the fact the homeless population in Brussels has risen by almost 28% over the last two years, while the number of minor children living in homelessness has increased by 50%.
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When looking at the numbers over a 12-year period, Brussels’ homeless population has more than tripled in size.
Member of the Brussels parliament, Aurélie Czekalski, questioned Health Minister Alain Maron about the scrapping of shelter places, and accused the government of a "lack of realism."
"If we want real cooperation with the people on the ground, we should not just ignore their advice," she added.
Samusocial did not respond to requests for comment, according to Bruzz, however, it said the decision was made following "lengthy discussions."
