By the end of May, more than 500 beds for the homeless will disappear in Brussels, according to Doctors of the World in Belgium.
“The homeless centres have been full to bursting point for months now, and the number of people visiting the Doctors of the World care bus with emergency humanitarian questions has increased dramatically,” the organisation said in a press release.
“Brussels urgently needs more shelter capacity, not less. The cancellation of hundreds of beds is therefore incomprehensible.”
Brussels homeless shelter will ‘downsize’
On 31 March, the Brussels homeless shelter on the Rue de Trèves began to downsize, closing its doors to 100 of the 190 residents.
This downsizing will continue until the end of May, with the gradual closure of a series of centres and hotels for the homeless resulting in a total of some five hundred beds that will be lost.
This includes places for women, families and men, and the largest homeless organisation (New Samusocial) is also forced to reduce its capacity to only 640 places.
“And yet, according to the latest figures, Brussels has some 6,000 homeless people. We thus return to a 'seasonal logic', which assumes that the Brussels homeless no longer need a bed because spring is coming,” Doctors of the World said.
Hypocrisy in approach to Ukrainian refugees
“Since the beginning of this year, we have failed to find a solution for people looking for a bed about 30 times. Among them are families and minors,” the organisation said.
“Now we have to tell them that another 500 places will be lost. Both our volunteers and our patients are discouraged.”
Doctors of the World noted that while the shelter capacity for the homeless is decreasing, that for Ukrainian refugees is being scaled up.
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“Doctors of the World obviously supports the shelter of every Ukrainian refugee, but notes that at the same time other, sometimes very vulnerable people, women, families and children are staying on the streets,” the organisation said.
“The global reception policy in our country, whether it concerns Ukrainian asylum seekers, the refugees at Klein Kasteeltje or the 'ordinary' Brussels homeless, should not depend on the (refugee) status, colour or nationality of those who ask for help.”
