As hysteria about drugs and violence at Porte de Hal grows, community-led initiatives are quietly fostering links with young people in the area, encouraging them to develop their talents and use their voice.
The reputation of Brussels' Midi quarter has suffered this year. Public drug use and multiple shootings have risen sharply and Porte de Hal is increasingly perceived as a no-go zone.
These are issues that will not be resolved overnight, but it isn't all bad: the area's strong social fabric strives to provide safe hangout spaces, varied social activities and professional guidance to young people living locally.
Next month, the 'Centre of Urban Expression' (CUBE) will open its doors in an old garage within five minutes' walk from both Porte de Hal and Square Jacques Franck. The commune-led initiative with a budget of €3.2 million enables young Saint-Gillois to set the agenda, organising 'graffiti battles', dance classes, wrestling tournaments and more.
A 'graffiti battle' at the garage before renovations. Credit: The CUBE
"Young people don't want to be offered an activity; they want to get involved and negotiate its terms," Saint-Gilles Mayor Jean Spinette told The Brussels Times. "Those who say we don't invest enough in the neighbourhood are welcome to visit this building dedicated to the young people of Saint-Gilles."
'Closer to our target group'
The CUBE has operated temporarily on Avenue Fonsny (just next to Brussels-Midi station) since 2018, but the municipality purchased a permanent site in 2019: a vacant garage.
"The infrastructure here is better quality, and we are much closer to our target group on Square Jacques Franck now," the centre's coordinator told The Brussels Times. "On a good day in the former centre, ten people would have come in. Now we expect to see between 20 and 40 every day."
The 'No Smoking' sign from the former garage has been preserved. Credit: The CUBE
The new space offers 1,200 m2 of activity halls, workspaces, interview rooms and even a recording studio, which locals aged 15 to 26 will be able to access until 21:00 every weekday once it is up and running.
The Saint-Gilles Youth Service and the Point Info Jeunesse will also run offices on site, offering assistance with job applications and general administrative support. In this way, the new centre goes one step further than its predecessor: it brings together multiple pre-existing services under one roof, making guidance as accessible as possible for young people who may be struggling.
Not all in trouble
The CUBE therefore acts as a gateway to broader care for those lacking guidance. But it is important to avoid playing into stereotypes about young people in the Midi quarter, according to Councillor for Urban Revitalisation and Youth Willem Stevens (Vooruit).
The idea that all young Saint-Gillois are being pulled into crime is "a generalisation that doesn't correspond to reality at all," Stevens told The Brussels Times. "There is a hardcore group, but it is important to give all other young people a positive sign, because they are doing remarkably well despite being born into poverty or into families with difficulties."
Brussels-Midi station. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Saint-Gilles has provided half of the funding for the CUBE (the other half comes from regional subsidies) and has overseen an array of other similar community initiatives. But what about using infrastructure to address the root causes of poverty, drug abuse and violence by creating more housing around Midi, where there are multiple enormous, vacant sites?
Spinette and Stevens are in agreement: this is a federal question, not a local one. The Mayor says his municipality has done its part and it is now up to the national transport operator SNCB and network manager Infrabel to develop the infrastructure for which they are responsible.
"SNCB has always had its back to the commune," Stevens said. He added that the Midi redevelopment plan CRU 7 could be a "game changer," but it is up to the railway operator and network manager to see it through. "We will give it our full support, but it is in their hands."
