Belgium forced to pay fines for asylum seekers’ accommodation After the Belgian state was recently forced to pay fines, twenty asylum seekers from the squat in Schaarbeek were given official accommodation in the Fedasil network. The asylum seekers’ lawyers are happy, but hope for a permanent solution. “Also for those who did not file a lawsuit.”
Three weeks after the announcement by the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor (CD&V) to evacuate asylum seekers from the squat in the Paleizenstraat in Schaarbeek, only twenty asylum seekers have been given accommodation. These are people who, together with three lawyers, have filed a lawsuit against Fedasil and the Belgian state. “The labor court has imposed fines on the Belgian state and then they have taken action,” says Marie Doutrepont, one of the lawyers, affiliated with Progress Lawyers Network. “There have already been many legal victories, but nothing changes until politics feels it in its portfolio.”
The fact that these asylum seekers are the only ones who have so far received accommodation is causing a lot of misunderstanding among aid organizations. “Don’t get me wrong, we think that’s good news, but there are also asylum seekers who have not filed a lawsuit and who are also entitled to accommodation,” says Nathalie Gielen of Doctors Without Borders. According to Fedasil, the evacuation is slow because there is a shortage of accommodation. “We have more than 30,000 places, but they are all occupied by people who are in a much too long asylum process or by people who have received a positive decision but then can’t go anywhere,” says Lies Gillis, deputy spokeswoman for Fedasil.
Homeless Accommodation Then?
Meanwhile, De Moor’s cabinet says emergency solutions are being worked on. “For registered asylum seekers on the waiting list, places are currently being provided in the homeless accommodation in Brussels, pending a place becoming available in the Fedasil accommodation network,” says spokeswoman Sieghild Lacoere. There are 950 places within the homeless accommodation in Brussels. Between December and now, another 400 places have been added. There are also reportedly additional beds within the Fedasil accommodation network.
Identification is Difficult
The number of places is increasing, so the question arises as to why so few asylum seekers from the Paleizenstraat have been accommodated. According to Fedasil and De Moor’s cabinet, it is simply because they do not know who is currently in the squat and who is eligible for accommodation. “We are working on a solution to identify the people in the squat as soon as possible and then offer them accommodation,” says Lacoere. In the meantime, the squatters remain in the Paleizenstraat and hope for a permanent solution. “We want a structure that ensures that everyone has a roof over their head,” says Doutrepont. “Not just a quick fix for those who file a lawsuit.”
This article is originally published on bruzz.be.
