Nearly 10,000 people homeless in Brussels
The number of homeless people in Brussels has reached nearly 10,000, according to the latest count by Bruss'help, the regional coordination organisation for homelessness.
During the night of 6-7 November, volunteers recorded 9,777 homeless people across the region. Of those, 992 were sleeping on the streets, an increase of 24.5 per cent from 2022. The count is carried out every two years and began in 2008 when 1,724 homeless people were recorded.
“Between 2022 and 2024, new groups of homeless people have emerged that we did not previously count, such as people threatened with eviction,” said Bruss'help. To keep comparisons consistent, these new groups were not included in the total.
Temporary shelters
Most of the people counted rely on temporary shelters or support services. Around 4,000 were staying in emergency shelters or in temporary housing arrangements, where people live in empty buildings with the owner’s permission.
"The figures serve as a tool for policymakers to develop more effective, structural and humane public policy measures"
Another 513 were in unrecognised shelters - an increase of 30 per cent - while 683 were squatting in buildings without permission, a number that fell by 26 per cent due to the closure of a large squat in Rue des Palais close to Brussels North station.
The population of people sleeping rough is also spreading. Of the 992 people on the streets, 613 were in Brussels’ outer municipalities, 50 per cent more than in 2022.
Bruss'help warns that, despite ongoing efforts, “the scale of the problem exceeds all individual initiatives”. It hopes the new figures will help policymakers take action: “The figures serve as a tool for policymakers to develop more effective, structural and humane public policy measures.”
A more detailed report is expected in June.
© PHOTO ANTOINE BOUREAU / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP
Related news
