Accomodating homeless or poorly housed people in hotels has positive effects on their lives and enhances their integration, according to a new report by Bruss’help, an organisation that coordinates emergency assistance and integration measures for homeless persons in the Brussels Region.
During the health crisis, hotels in the capital were used as emergency accommodation. At the height of the project, in May 2020, 950 places were available. Since then, the number of places has dropped to 182 in December 2021, and 68 today.
Bruss’help notes that over this period, this type of hotel accommodation has evolved from emergency assistance to inclusionary facilities.
There are several advantages to being housed in a hotel for homeless people: gaining self-confidence, working on vulnerabilities, having one’s own space, regaining social rights, and being in better conditions to seek permanent housing.
These elements are even more convincing if a public social welfare centre is involved in the project, notes Bruss’help.
The coordinators of the hotel accommodation projects are asking for more financial resources to pursue their integration projects. They say they need the same level of financial support as recognised integration centres.
