Over a dozen unoccupied buildings are currently housing asylum seekers in Brussels, La Libre reports. The rise of these so-called squats comes as the federal reception centres have failed to process the influx of arrivals seeking asylum in the capital.
The organisation Flemish Refugee Action has stated that around 3,000 asylum seekers are without a place to stay, with the Belgian State failing to provide them with shelter throughout the past year. The situation has left many either to sleep on the streets or find accommodation by whichever means necessary.
Samusocial, which is in charge of assisting Belgium's homeless population, has intervened in at least 13 unoccupied buildings which were housing asylum seekers. One of their coordinators Clément Redondo told La Libre that these buildings combined are accommodating between 1,500 and 2,000 people.
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One squat in Schaerbeek has made headlines in recent weeks, as nearly 750 people had been staying before being evacuated. Recently, another building was occupied in the municipality of Saint Josse in protest of the lack of housing solutions offered to asylum seekers.
In some cases, these temporary accommodations become permanent asylum centres. For instance, the offices of a former tobacco company in Molenbeek had accommodated 160 or so asylum seekers at the behest of volunteers. The centre will now be part of a publicly-funded pilot project to provide longer-term shelter.
