Fabrice Cumps (PS) issued a "cry of alarm" in the face of the social emergency in his municipality, Anderlecht, and pushed against concentrating the struggles in working-class neighbourhoods, calling it "political cynicism."
In an open letter published on Thursday, Cumps said he has been confronted in recent weeks with a growing presence of squats and makeshift camps, as well as the concerns of residents exasperated by persistent neighbourhood disturbances.
He asserts that this "unprecedented explosion of extreme poverty" is forcing him to order evictions from illegally occupied private properties and the dismantling of tents erected under bridges and in parks.
Fabrice Cumps denounces the shifting of complex social issues onto local authorities alone, arguing that municipalities lack structural rehousing solutions. Instead, he advocates for a more equitable distribution of "social welfare costs" among Brussels municipalities and across the three Regions.
The mayor also stands by his recent decisions to reduce the capacity of shelters in Cureghem, including those run by Samusocial and BelRefugees, by nearly 200 beds.
Last week, he issued an order limiting the capacity of Samusocial's Poincaré centre to 170 places, down from 280 previously, starting April 27, due to a security situation deemed to have deteriorated around the site.
In his letter, Fabrice Cumps calls for a "democratic awakening," with an ambitious "Station Plan," a strengthened fight against inadequate housing, a battle against the underground economy, and a large-scale healthcare program for hard drug users in public spaces.
