BGM Digest — Week 18 (27 April — 3 May 2026)

SLRB Restructuring Plan : Nine Dismissals Confirmed, Tower at Risk

On 30 April 2026, the SLRB (Brussels Social Housing Company) officially confirmed a restructuring plan affecting nine dismissals (three permanent staff, six contractors) plus six additional contractors placed on economic furlough. Management cited the halt of investments in social housing programmes. This announcement creates factual tension with the Government Policy Statement 2026-2029, which had pledged a moratorium without lay-offs.

Tower Gandhi 2 in Molenbeek, housing 57 social apartments with 46 occupied, faces prolonged vacancy : 12 million EUR is missing from the 31 million EUR required for both towers, resulting in an estimated annual rental loss of 500,000 EUR.

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Three Iriscare Measures Operational in 2026

Brussels's elderly care sector benefits from three instruments operated by Iriscare (bicommunal agency of COCOM), now in place :

1. Since 1 March, all nursing homes, residential care facilities and day service centres must submit allocation requests via the Iriscarenet platform (eAgreement), in partnership with Brussels insurers' associations.

2. Since 1 January, head nurses in care homes must complete 24 hours per year of continuous training (team management, workplace efficiency, wellbeing) ; facilities must submit a two-year training plan by 1 June 2026.

3. Iriscare's subsidised Dutch language course programme, launched in 2021 for nursing homes, was extended in September 2025 to six sectors (disability services, rehabilitation, home care, protected housing, mental health, nursing homes). Result : 67 professionals trained between September 2025 and Q1 2026.

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Relocation Support Allowance (ADAR) : New Scheme Since January 2026

The ADAR, effective 1 January 2026, replaces the previous relocation allowance for three target groups : exit from homelessness, domestic violence survivors, previously unhabitable housing. Annual income ceiling : 28,100.75 EUR. Relocation grant : 952.30 EUR (plus 95.23 EUR per child) ; rental assistance : 190.46 EUR per month (or 142.85 EUR depending on income) for up to three years maximum, with single-parent top-up to 47.62 EUR per child.

Simultaneously, the Council of State confirmed in a ruling of 30 March 2026 that landlords may require tenants to earn at least three times the monthly rent. This screening practice coexists with a median apartment rent of 1,213 EUR per month (+28 % since 2021) and a median Brussels household income significantly below the national average.

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BIM in Brussels : New Cross-Sector File Facing Double Federal Pressure

The status of Enhanced Intervention Beneficiary (BIM — Bénéficiaire de l'Intervention Majorée) is federal (INAMI) but triggers a cascade of Brussels regional rights (Vivaqua, STIB, ONE). Brussels concentrates the highest proportion (~30 %, versus 15 % in Flanders), with extreme municipal variation : 48 % of minors with BIM status in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean versus 9 % in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.

Two federal dynamics converge since 2025-2026 : the long-term unemployment reform automatically pushes toward the RIS (integration income) and therefore toward BIM (919 Brussels cases registered by 29 April 2026), while an MR (liberal) bill (Chamber Health Committee, 31 March 2026) aims to tighten eligibility criteria for the status. This file captures the cascading impact of federal reforms on Brussels regional competencies.

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Infrabel : Fifty-Seven Million EUR to Raise Platforms at Seven Brussels Stations

The Federal Government approved on Friday 24 April 2026 an amendment to Infrabel's 2023-2032 multi-year investment plan. 57.8 million EUR is allocated to raise platforms and improve accessibility at seven Brussels stations : Brussels-South, Etterbeek, Schaerbeek, Haren-South, Uccle-Stalle, Forest-East and Bordet. Funding comes from deferring two major rail projects (Ghent-Terneuzen rail and accessibility at other stations).

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