January 6, 2024

2024-01-06 16:22:00

Northern Europe started 2024 with freezing temperatures. In northern Sweden, the mercury fell below minus 40 degrees Celsius for the first time in 3 years. Neighboring Finland is also experiencing freezing temperatures. Across the country, temperatures vary on average between -20 and -30 degrees.

In Belgium, the mercury will fortunately not drop as low but temperatures will also drop. After the rain comes the cold. The country is expecting polar temperatures this weekend, but especially next week. The drop in temperatures will be especially noticeable from Tuesday. In certain regions such as the Hautes Fagnes, it might be as cold as -10°C.

Bruss’Help, the Brussels platform which coordinates emergency aid for the homeless in the capital, confirms the activation of the “extreme cold” plan for next Monday, when the mercury will plunge below zero, including in the center of the country. .

“Extreme cold” plan in Brussels: 145 more places for individuals and families from Monday

To cope with the very cold days predicted for next week, 145 additional places will be open to accommodate homeless people.

Furthermore, the Gare du Midi (SNCB) will be kept open if temperatures are negative or at zero, while the Stib will be more tolerant, under these same conditions, of people “wandering” in its stations.

The island, an association helping the homeless, is also on the alert. “We are vigilant and we push our walls to accommodate as many people as possible. All our night centers are unfortunately already saturated but we will try to welcome more people into our day centers to be able to offer hot drinks…” explains Ariane Dierickx, director of the association.

However, this reminds us that winter is not the only difficult period for the homeless. “Homeless people are better prepared for the cold, thanks to certain equipment, large blankets, etc. than in other weather conditions such as heatwaves or rain. When you live on the street, it’s the rain that’s the most painful. It wets clothes, boxes and bags and makes it much more difficult to keep warm.”

The latest count of homeless people carried out in the Brussels region showed a 20% increase in the number of people on the streets between 2022 and 2020. “It is estimated that in Brussels, there are more than 7,000 homeless people and this is not the case. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Among them, we find new profiles such as families with children or Men

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