Homeless people looking to escape the biting cold will have temporary access to an additional 250 places where they can seek shelter, Minister Alain Maron announced at a press conference this afternoon.
These spaces are in addition to the existing 3,200 in the city.
“We have never had such a high capacity,” Minister Maron told BX1. “But we are still ‘pushing the walls’ to increase it.”
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The three largest train stations in the city (Brussels Central, Brussels North, and Brussels South) will be temporarily open for the next 24h straight in order to meet the unprecedented need, and SNCB is evaluating the situation for the following nights with station managers.
Efforts to aid the homeless as temperatures remain below freezing and snow still covers the city are being coordinated through the organisation Bruss’help.
According to its director, François Bertrand, the additional accommodations for the homeless include 90 new hotel rooms, three sites belonging to the Samusocial of Brussels organisation, 30 places via Brussels refugees, 38 spots at Red Cross sites and 12 places at the Centre Ariane.
