As temperatures gradually drop, organisations helping homeless people in Brussels are taking extra measures to offer shelter to as many people as possible. However, it is too early to activate the regional 'Extreme Cold' plan.
An estimated 10,000 people in the Brussels-Capital Region are homeless and poorly housed. Homeless organisation Bruss'help coordinates efforts to help them all year round, but told The Brussels Times that the regional 'Extreme Cold' plan has not yet been activated.
"Once activated, the plan will offer 185 to 200 additional places in shelters when temperature estimations for the night drop below -4°C for three consecutive days," said spokesperson Eva Salman.
Extra shelters
As the drop in temperatures is becoming more noticeable, mobile support teams from Samusocial (the agency providing social services for homeless people) are "crisscrossing the city day and night" and are extra vigilant to help the homeless and prevent any risk of hypothermia.
"The attention of our teams of nurses, social workers and psychologists is focused on the most vulnerable people (elderly, sick, confused, etc.)," the agency said in a press release. "Where possible, we offer them shelter in one of our centres. Each person who is taken in is also offered guidance and solutions to get off the streets."
In the meantime, the Train Hostel shelter in the Brussels municipality of Schaerbeek reopened for homeless families last week. The shelter offers 104 places (90 for families, 14 for single men) and will be open until March 2025.
The former youth hostel was opened in March 2023 as an emergency shelter for homeless people, but had to close its doors due to a lack of funding after just one year. As a result, a solution had to be found for 607 people, including 136 families. Then, the hostel was used as a temporary shelter for asylum seekers.
Train Hostel Schaerbeek. Credit: Belga
As of last week, Train Hostel is again being used as an emergency shelter for homeless families. "They are a particularly vulnerable group, and often neglected by the overcrowded reception facilities in Brussels," said the French-speaking Red Cross.
"Train Hostel has once again become an emergency winter hostel, but this is not a permanent solution," they added. "Vulnerable people are once again being relocated, while families with babies just a few months old are being housed in emergency accommodation, with the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads."
Additionally, the shelter is already full, while some families are still without housing solutions. "We are currently in talks with the main actors and hope to be able to create some additional places," said Bruss'help's Salman.
While welcoming all measures taken, organisations helping homeless people have long denounced the crisis and say emergency measures will not solve the issue structurally. They argued that "homelessness knows no temperature" and called the 'Extreme Cold' plan "a plaster on a bullet hole."
Looking after vulnerable people on the streets
For people who know (of) a homeless person in difficulty or see someone who needs help in the streets, Bruss'help recommends the following actions:
- Call the free Samusocial emergency number: 0800 99 340;
- Be precise when describing the person (location and any difficulties identified);
- If the person appears to be in immediate physical distress, report it to 112 (medical emergencies). In this case, do not leave them alone and wait for help.
