Migration and homelessness: New €20 million deal between Brussels and federal government

A new €20 million deal has been agreed between the federal government and the Brussels region to compensate for homelessness expenses in the capital, report local media.

“For the first time, the federal government recognises the particular situation that our region is currently in,” said Brussels minister-president Rudi Vervoort. “This deal provides some justice. It stands to reason that the federal government acknowledges that we are doing more than our fair share,” he added.

The €20 million won’t, however, be added to Brussels’ estimated €80-million homelessness budget. It’s only a compensation. “It’ll be used to pay back everything that we are already doing,” said Vervoort.

It’s been a while since the Brussels Region started reporting to the federal government about the costs it incurred during successive refugee crises.

The year 2022 will be remembered for the record number of Afghan, Syrian and Burundian asylum seekers arriving in Brussels. They sought refuge in numbers not seen since 2015, discounting the 60,000 Ukrainian war refugees in Belgium, of whom 20% have taken up residence in the capital.

Photo: © Belga/Thierry Roge