The Belgian Red Cross announced on Sunday that it is strengthening its logistical support for communes taking in refugees, providing bedding, blankets, and other material for those requesting such assistance, Belga News Agency reports.
“The communes can send their requests to our toll-free 105 number, where the teams have also been strengthened,” the Red Cross said in a statement.
The reception of people fleeing the war in Ukraine will be transferred on Monday from the former Jules Bordet Hospital to the Heysel Plateau in Brussels, where Red Cross teams will be present every day from 8:00 to 20:00.
Centre has already welcomed thousands of Ukrainians
The Bordet Centre has registered about 5,400 Ukrainians since it was opened, according to Immigration Office Spokesman Dominique Ernould. The move to the Heysel Plateau will allow the number of reception counters to be increased from 10 to 40.
In collaboration with the authorities, the Red Cross distributes food and drink to people waiting to be registered, together with information brochures, mainly on its assistance in helping persons find relatives and close ones. It also runs a games room for children, a room for nursing and changing infants, and a medical centre.
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The federal government is in charge of taking in, registering and providing refugees with emergency shelter during their first days in Belgium.
Regional and provincial governments, for their part, work with the communes to provide more structured accommodation for the refugees, mainly by finding regular housing for them.
The federal government has set up a special site, www.info-ukraine.be, and telephone number, 02/488 88 88, to provide information on the reception of refugees.
