Rights groups denounce controversial plan to scrap 1,000 shelter spaces in Brussels

Rights groups and organizations working with homeless people and refugees have criticized a plan to cut 1,000 shelter spaces in Brussels, calling the move “irresponsible,” local media reported Wednesday.

NGOs and concerned citizens took to the streets in Brussels late Tuesday to protest the controversial plan amid a sharp rise in demand for shelter in the Belgian capital, The Brussels Times reported.

Latest figures from Brussels-based homeless support organization Samusocial show that in July alone, even before the cuts took effect, 244 of the 299 families seeking accommodation could no longer be helped because the shelter network had reached capacity.

“The removal of the 1,000 accommodation places will only exacerbate an already critical situation, leaving even more families, children and vulnerable people without a place to stay,” the group said.

According to Samusocial, BelRefugees, and other organizations, 1,555 people are currently on the waiting list for accommodation through refugee support organization BelRefugees.

“These people are forced to wander the streets, in metro stations and parks for weeks on end. But these are not dignified living conditions,” BelRefugees said.

The organizations called on Federal Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt to reverse the decision, which is due to take effect on Sept. 1.

Samuel Cogolati of aid group Caritas also criticized the plan, arguing that reducing reception capacity would create additional problems.

“More and more people are coming to us with serious mental health issues. We need a reasonable reception model.”

Synova, Belgium’s independent trade union, said Van Bossuyt’s decision “is sending shockwaves through the social sector.”

“This measure is brutal, irresponsible and socially unacceptable,” the union added.

Van Bossuyt, meanwhile, said she “fully understands the high pressure of homelessness that Brussels is facing.”

“The issue is very complex, but as Minister for Asylum and Migration, I am not responsible for providing shelter for the homeless. Until further notice, that remains the responsibility of the Brussels Region,” she said.