Porte d'Ulysse, a shelter for homeless people and refugees managed by BelRefugees, will be given a permanent facility at the Da Vinci site in Haren, Brussels, announced citydev.brussels and the Brussels Region on Wednesday.
The new centre, with a capacity of 350 beds, is set to open in spring 2026. It will replace temporary facilities on Chaussée de Louvain, which were destroyed by a fire in 2023.
The centre will offer rooms for two to four people, communal spaces, a dining hall and administrative offices.
This project is part of the mission given to citydev.brussels by the Brussels Government to find permanent housing solutions for over 300 people.
Porte d'Ulysse, born from a citizen mobilisation during the 2015 migration crisis, has moved several times. Initially located at the Blue Star site in Haren from 2018 to 2020, it then moved to an old office building on Chaussée de Louvain in Schaerbeek.
The 2023 fire led to an emergency evacuation of the residents, who were dispersed to various temporary shelters.
Currently, BelRefugees manages nearly 1,200 emergency accommodation beds in the Brussels Region.
