Brussels government cancels Extreme cold plan for homeless people

The Brussels government decided to cancel the Extreme Koude plan for this year, which previously provided additional emergency shelter beds during the coldest months.

Instead of creating new spots, the government will keep the emergency shelter places that were freed up during the last Extreme Koude plan available for the entire year. This move aims to ensure that families with children do not end up on the street.

The government will maintain the current emergency capacity at the Marie-Curie center in Evere and the Plasky center in Schaarbeek until the end of the year. While these spots remain, the organization Bruss'Help notes that single men who do not find a place this winter might be accommodated in other shelters using funds from the Brussels Deal.

This deal originally provided 2,000 extra beds across 20 locations to house asylum seekers, but federal budget cuts have put that funding at risk. The organization Samusocial reports a severe shortage of beds for single men. The organization currently has only 230 beds available for this group because police orders forced a reduction in capacity at its Poincarélaan center. During a recent period, Samusocial received 288 requests for shelter but had to refuse 178 of them.

The government plans to secure a loan of 26 million euros to help maintain the shelter network while negotiations with the federal government continue.