Two newborn babies admitted to Brussels homeless shelters each month
The Brussels homeless organisation Samusocial has already taken in 150 babies under the age of one this year, while being forced to turn away families with young children due to a chronic lack of space. The organisation released the figures as it launched a campaign drawing attention to the plight of children living on the streets or in emergency accommodation.
Of the 150 babies admitted this year, 28 were brought directly from the maternity ward to the shelter. Similar numbers have been recorded in previous years: between June 2024 and May 2025, Samusocial took in 243 babies under a year old. In total, around a quarter of the organisation’s roughly 1,100 beds are occupied by minors.
Brussels’ largest homeless organisation is finding it increasingly difficult to meet the growing need for emergency accommodation. Since September, Samusocial has had to turn away 2,161 people due to capacity constraints, representing 613 families.
“In a welfare state, we simply cannot accept mothers with small children, and even babies, ending up on the streets,” says Samusocial director Sarah de Liamchine.
A Samusocial worker prepares a sleeping area in Brussels © BELGA PHOTO KRISTOF VAN ACCOM
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