The number of homeless people in Brussels dramatically increased in the last two years, a new report published Wednesday revealed.
On one night in November 2024, 9,777 people were recorded as homeless in Brussels, an increase of 25 percent compared to the previous count in 2022, according to the study conducted by Bruss’Help, the regional coordination agency for homelessness.
Around 4,000 people were reported staying in emergency shelters or in empty buildings with the owner’s approval, on the night of the count. Another 992 slept in public spaces including metro stations, marking a 23 percent increase since 2022. Out of these 992, more than 600 were in municipalities on the outskirts of Brussels, indicating that the problem is spreading beyond the city center.
Another 2,649 people, 27 percent of the total, were staying in nonconventional housing, including nonapproved accommodation structures, temporary accommodations or squats. 1,539 people, 16 percent of the total, were staying with third parties.
According to Bruss’Help, “the scale of the problem exceeds all individual initiatives,” and it hopes that the current report will help policymakers develop “more effective, structural and humane public policy measures.”
The Bruss’Help study, which is carried out every two years with the help of volunteers, tracks various forms of homelessness across the region. A more detailed, qualitative analysis is expected in June.
According to Adèle Pierre, a researcher at Bruss’Help and co-author of the report, the housing crisis and immigration troubles are both responsible for rising homelessness.
“It’s harder and harder to find an accessible house. The prices are more and more expensive … And it’s harder for the federal government to provide beds especially for men without families, and that’s why we have a rise of men in emergency accommodations,” she said.
Pierre added that policymakers need “to do something.”
Belgium is among the EU countries that in June 2021 signed a declaration aimed at ending homelessness by 2030. In view of the declaration, Bruss’Help created a master plan including 35 measures to help the Belgian government achieve the goal.
“It’s hard to end [homelessness] because it is not only about housing solutions. It’s also about health issues, it is about youth politics,” said Pierre.
“It’s about many, many things and so we have to get all the sectors around the table to discuss how to end it and this is what the master plan is about,” she added.
This story has been updated.