The chill that for many has provided a source of entertainment as parts of Belgium saw the most snow in a decade has put other aspects of daily life in the spotlight. As I wrote when the snow first arrived, we see things differently when the conditions change.
With the novelty of the fluffy powder wearing off, @Maajtee went to the Brussels canal on Thursday morning – a part of the city where rough sleepers are a common sight, largely due to the main reception centre for asylum seekers being located on the water's edge in a former prison. Today it's getting inside that poses the real challenge.
Approximately 2,700 asylum seekers are waiting for a shelter, something that by Belgian law the State should make available, though efforts to help them indoors have been left largely up to NGOs and groups of residents tired of walking past a problem that ministers neglect to tackle – racking up court penalties in the process.
Emergency capacity has been made available in Brussels as the freezing temperatures triggered the Extreme Cold Plan, which is currently due to continue until 8 February. There are an estimated 2,000 more homeless people in the city than beds in shelters; those who do not make it into an organised space for protection are exceptionally permitted to take shelter in parts of the city's train and metro stations.
But not only has the short-term availability of barely 200 extra beds been described as a "plaster on a bullet wound", the general approach also fails to recognise the humanity of these people during the rest of the year: "Homelessness is a problem that knows no temperature. It hurts just as much in winter as in summer: as many people die on the streets in summer as in winter."
Belgium in Brief is a free daily roundup of the top stories to get you through your coffee break conversations. To receive it straight to your inbox every day, sign up below:
1. 'Nature close to home': Brussels calls on residents to make the capital greener
Brussels has numerous parks but green spaces are not evenly distributed throughout the city. To rectify this inequality in liveable spaces, it is looking to engage its citizens to help reinvent public space. Read more.
2. 'Homelessness knows no temperature': What happens after Brussels Extreme Cold plan?
Homelessness is a problem clear to see in Brussels all year round, but one that becomes all the more pressing when temperatures hit freezing. The Brussels authorities have now activated the 'Extreme Cold' plan, but what happens after that? Read more.
3. What to do in Brussels this weekend: 19 - 21 January
Sadly, the snow that blanketed Brussels and turned it into a Brueghel landscape will have mostly melted by the weekend, dampening any plans of a wintery walk. Read more.
4. Some 5,000 people became Belgian nationals last October
New figures published by Belgium's statistical agency Statbel have revealed that nearly 5,000 people became official Belgian nationals in October 2023. Read more.
5. Russia turns to old Soviet treaty to unfreeze funds in Belgium
There have been several attempts to access Russian funds frozen in Belgium via a 1989 treaty between Belgium, Luxembourg and the USSR, according to French-speaking Greens MP Samuel Cogolati (Écolo). Read more.
6. Belgian film starring Cillian Murphy to open Berlin film festival
The Berlin Film Festival Berlinale will open with a Belgian film, set in Ireland and starring Cillian Murphy. Read more.
7. 'Belgian Alps': Ski resorts open en masse following heavy snowfall
Snowsports lovers are in for a treat, as Wednesday's heavy snowfall and cold temperatures have allowed several Belgian ski resorts to open their doors. Read more.
