The Belgian Red Cross has converted a hostel in Schaerbeek into a temporary asylum reception centre, the organisation announced on Wednesday.
The Train Hostel has been in use for similar purposes since April 2023. The site served as accommodation for around 100 vulnerable families and individuals, serving a total of 607 people. However, the project was forced to close on 31 March when the Brussels-Capital Region ceased to provide the necessary funding for the initiative. Solutions were found for all residents following the closure.
Now, the Red Cross has collaborated with federal asylum reception agency Fedasil to open the hostel up to over 100 people seeking international protection in Belgium. A crippling reception crisis means waiting lists for accommodation are at record highs, with many individuals forced to sleep rough or in miserable conditions.
"Today, more than 3,600 people seeking international protection have been refused shelter and they are left on a waiting list to be allocated a reception centre for several months," the Red Cross stated. Belgium has mandated the organisation to assist with reception for the next 35 years via a framework agreement.
Faced with a shortage of emergency accommodation in Brussels, the Red Cross has been calling for a "structural policy addressing the issues of homelessness" for years. It emphasises Belgium's obligation to consider the long- and short-term policy implications of failing to house international protection applicants.
