A transit center for Ukrainian refugees in Brussels has hit a record number of residents. Many residents have remained there for several weeks, amid a worsening housing crisis in the Belgian capital.
Currently 899 Ukrainian refugees are stranded at the Ariane transit center in Brussels, according to the Belgian Red Cross. Many have now been there for several weeks, some for up to two months.
The center was set up by the Belgian Red Cross on behalf of Fedasil, the Belgian institution responsible for the reception of asylum seekers. The former business center turned shelter was initially intended as a temporary stopover between registration at the Heysel center and local reception centers.
The center, which has around 240 rooms, only offers basic services and is designed to allow people to stay for up to three nights, before being placed in permanent accommodation. Despite being set up as a temporary stopover, many refugees, including young children, have remained there for much longer periods, unable to find an alternative.
Brussels largely relies on local hosts for accommodation
Ukrainians arriving in Brussels must first go to the Heysel center where the state immigration office gives them EU protection status. Following this, they must then find housing either with a local host or other options. Once they have found accommodation, their local municipality then completes the paper work to activate all the rights linked to the EU protection status.
If there is no immediate hosting match at Heysel, they are sent to the Ariane transit center until a solution is found.
Earlier this month, the number of refugees waiting for accommodation at the center hit a peak of 1,000 and due to the challenges of finding permanent housing, Fedasil asked refugees to look for a place themselves,The Brussels Times reported.
There has been a slight outflow since then, and the number of refugees in Ariane decreased by about 200 people according to Joachim Deman, spokesman for the Belgian Red Cross.
But the challenges of transit centers reaching full capacity shows little sign of improving, and with many centers around the country also experiencing staff shortages.
Housing shortage create further obstacles for refugees
According to Housing Europe, an organization that works to tackle housing issues across the continent, the situation has continued to worsen with housing prices at their highest in over a decade.
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, has stated that house prices in Europe have increased by 9.8% in the Eurozone and by 10.5% in the European Union in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2021.
The Belgian Red Cross has raised concerns over a lack of resources and an inefficient processing system. The Flemish Minister of Housing Mattias Diependaele has promised to consult with local authorities and is seeking to increase the number of reception places after the summer. In addition, two emergency centers are planned in Ghent and in Flemish Brabant.
Last month, the Belgian Federal Planning Bureau estimated that Belgium will host 83,000 Ukrainian refugees by the end of the year.