The Brussels government will provide 5.7 million euros to the transport company STIB to develop an integrated approach to the reception of homeless people and drug users in Brussels metro stations. This will involve cooperation with various organisations, including the homeless organisation Diogenes, Transit and Samusocial.
For years, the Belgian capital has been struggling with an increasing number of homeless people and drug addicts, also visible in the metro stations. This creates a feeling of insecurity among passengers and STIB staff. As a result, the number of complaints has doubled in two years.
The problem undermines the attractiveness of public transport
"The problem undermines the attractiveness of public transport," said STIB. "Moreover, metro traffic in the tunnels and the presence of 900 volts in them pose a real risk to the wandering and addicted public and the critical infrastructure in the underground stations. The metro network is not a place where social services can take care of vagrants or drug addicts appropriately and humanely," the transport company said.
Global approach
Following the example of the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) in Paris, the Brussels transport authority is taking a global approach with social and security measures. For example, the STIB plans to provide staff to patrol metro stations around the clock. They'll also direct homeless people and drug addicts to places where they can get help or accommodation.
This integration of social assistance, medical care and safety has proven to be the right approach
"Passenger safety and comfort are crucial to the success of public transport," says Brussels Mobility minister Elke Van den Brandt (Greens). In November 2022, the Brussels government and STIB launched the SubLINK pilot project, which proposes an integrated approach. "This integration of social assistance, medical care and safety has proven to be the right approach. We are now extending this system to ensure safety in the stations and to provide appropriate care and counselling to those affected," she said.
The number of security patrols in metro stations will also increase by a third. These station security patrols (PVS), as the STIB calls them, were introduced in 2017 after the terrorist attacks of 22 March 2016. The patrols will also be extended to the beginning and end of the night when drug users are more likely to be present.
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