Brussels’ homelessness situation is expected to worsen further with a new census scheduled for October. Bruss’help, which coordinates homelessness assistance, announced that the number of homeless people in the city could rise by 25%, highlighting the growing need among families and young people.
Ninth census to take place on the night of October 15-16
Bruss’help will conduct the ninth homelessness census across the Brussels-Capital Region on the night of October 15-16. The operation will take place at the same time as similar censuses in Flanders and Wallonia.
The previous census identified 9,777 homeless people. That result represented a 25% increase compared with the level recorded in the census before it.
Families’ need for accommodation support has grown
Bruss’help official Adele Pierre said indicators from services operating on the ground pointed to a possible further spread of homelessness. Pierre said emergency accommodation services were increasingly unable to accommodate everyone and that the number of families seeking assistance was rising.
Pierre argued that the federal government’s plan to eliminate 1,000 reception places under the Brussels Agreement could worsen the current situation. She said the places were full and that accommodating fewer asylum seekers had increased the number of homeless people in Brussels.
Previous figures highlighted single mothers and people without residence permits
Previous figures showed that approximately one-quarter of those staying in emergency accommodation centers had been homeless for more than two years. One in 10 was a single mother living with her children.
The same figures showed that approximately one-quarter of those using emergency accommodation services did not have residence permits.
