Explosive growth in homelessness due to failed Brussels policy

In November 2022, Bruss’Help found there were 7,134 homeless people in Brussels. That is almost 20% more than in 2020 and a fourfold increase since the first count in 2008. “The new figures confirm what we feared,” says Brussels MP Gilles Verstraeten. “And this is still an underestimate, which Bruss’Help emphasises once again. We are seeing an increase in homeless people on the streets, in metro trains and stations. The problem of homelessness in Brussels has been growing explosively for years, and now there is even a crack epidemic among the homeless.”

Minister Maron admits that the homelessness problem is linked to migration

There were 1,593 people in the emergency shelter centres, an increase by a factor of 8.5 since 2008. According to Brussels Minister Maron (Ecolo party), the increase in the number of homeless people in emergency reception facilities and temporary housing projects is largely due to the increase in the number of people without identity documents and without prospects.

Verstraeten is pleased that Minister Maron finally recognises and acknowledges that the problem of homelessness is linked to migration: “Bruss’Help already pointed out in 2018 that opting for emergency shelter over structural solutions for many years was partly motivated by the issue of migration. At the same time, however, Mr Maron made it crystal clear why we should never expect a solution to this problem with the Ecolo party: a policy of forced return for people who are here illegally is completely pointless, as he said in committee, since, in his opinion, those people will eventually just return to Europe. In other words, open up the borders. Or at least do nothing to make the current migration system work properly. He called even trying to do that ‘populism’. Duly noted.”

Misplaced optimism

At the same time, Minister Maron is patting himself on the back because the provision of housing and reception facilities has increased, Verstraeten says. “But I think that optimism is misplaced. There has been a proliferation of initiatives by various associations and actors, where everyone seems to be working somewhat on their own island and there is no longer any clear coordination. At the same time, there are attempts to make use of structural housing through Housing First, where homeless people are given permanent accommodation, with ever more actors as well.”

“But Minister Maron also admits that the ceiling has been reached in terms of the number of housing units available. The reality remains that we will only be able to achieve a structural reduction in the number of homeless people if we disentangle the migration knot. As long as this does not happen and Brussels and federal policies in this area are not adjusted, the Brussels homeless population will continue to rise,” Gilles Verstraeten concludes.