Social affairs: EUR 10M for stations, drug commissioner, services protected

Coalition Agreement: Announced Commitments

The agreement of 12 February 2026 sets cross-cutting social and security measures:

• EUR 10 million for security at the Midi and Nord stations (cameras, police, cleaning, support for vulnerable people)
• Regional drug commissioner: creation of a dedicated function
• Protection of social services: homelessness, addiction, support services confirmed
• Enhanced security role of the minister-president
• Kanal saved: EUR 60 million for the museum opening (degressive annual budget, requirement to seek own revenue)

Points of attention: COCOM (bicommunal health) details have not yet been published, and health spending cuts are still under negotiation. The pressure on CPAS from the unemployment reform (>EUR 1 billion cumulative) will need to be absorbed by the new budgetary framework.

Equal opportunities (DPR, chapter 12)

The DPR devotes a chapter to equal opportunities and the fight against discrimination:

• Gender mainstreaming: integration of the gender dimension across all regional policies
• Anti-discrimination plan: regional plan to combat discrimination, including a testing component
• Housing discrimination testing: mechanism to monitor discriminatory practices in the rental market
• LGBTQI+ action plan: dedicated regional plan
• Handistreaming: integration of disability across all policies (beyond the PMR accessibility dossier)

These commitments are set out in the DPR but have not yet been implemented through ordinances or executive decrees.

Health and prevention (DPR, chapter 11)

The DPR provides for additional health measures:

• Médibus : mobile medical bus to reach populations distant from healthcare in underserved neighbourhoods
• Health in All Policies (HIAP) : integration of the health dimension across all regional policies (urban planning, mobility, housing)
• Food aid : regional structuring of food aid, with a coordinated framework for local and non-profit initiatives

These commitments are set out in the DPR but have not yet been implemented through executive measures.

Unemployment reform: impact on Brussels CPAS

What is this about?

Since 1 January 2026, unemployment benefits in Belgium are limited to a maximum of two years. People exceeding this threshold lose their entitlement. The measure is applied in three waves:

• 1 January 2026: people with more than 20 years of inactivity
• 1 March 2026: people with 8 to 20 years of inactivity
• 1 April 2026: people with 2 to 8 years of inactivity

In total, 185,700 people will lose their benefits between January 2026 and July 2027 in Belgium. In the Brussels-Capital Region, approximately 42,000 people are affected (Actiris estimate, cumulative Jan. 2026 – Jul. 2027).

What happens to excluded people?

The federal government budgeted the reform on the assumption that one third of those excluded would find work, one third would turn to the CPAS (social integration income) and one third would have sufficient resources (partner, savings). Several sources contradict this projection:

• National Bank of Belgium: return to work would concern 10 to 20% of those excluded, not 33%
• Vivalis (study based on CBSS data, March 2025): of the 24,700 excluded persons under 55, 21% would find work, 32% would turn to the CPAS, 42% would end up with no identifiable income and 5% would move to sickness-disability insurance
• Court of Auditors (February 2026): the government's assumption is described as "not very realistic"; the share moving to the CPAS is "probably underestimated"
• 2015 precedent (limitation of integration allowances): 72% of those excluded had not found work after 6 months

Brussels particularly exposed

Brussels accounts for around 10% of the Belgian population but would concentrate one third of social integration income recipients and one third of people without income resulting from the reform (Vivalis). The number of social integration income recipients in Brussels already stood at 46,911 as an annual average in 2024 (IBSA), up 12% since 2020. The most affected municipalities are Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Saint-Gilles and the City of Brussels, where close to 4% of the population is affected.

Diverging data: why the numbers do not match

Initial official data from the FPS Social Integration indicate that 20 to 27.5% of those excluded in January turned to the CPAS. However, CPAS on the ground report presentation rates at the counter of 40 to 50%, and even higher in Brussels. The gap is explained by the nature of the data: FPS figures count administratively registered files (payment or encoding data), while CPAS count people who present themselves at the counter, including cases under review or pending. The delay between application and registration is several weeks.

The blind spot: non-take-up

Without systematic cross-referencing of databases (ONEM, ONSS, health insurers, CPAS) via the Crossroads Bank for Social Security (CBSS), it is impossible to determine what happens to people who do not turn to the CPAS: employment, undeclared work, financial dependence on a relative, leaving the country or non-take-up of rights. Non-take-up of social rights in Brussels is a structural phenomenon documented by Vivalis as early as 2016 in a thematic report on social under-protection in the Brussels Region. The 2025 Vivalis study is the only one to have cross-referenced CBSS data to project the trajectories of excluded Brussels residents; it estimates that 42% of those excluded under 55 would end up with no identifiable income.

Budgetary impact

The federal government has allocated EUR 300 million in compensation for CPAS in 2026. According to the Court of Auditors, this would cover needs for 2026 but would prove insufficient for subsequent years, with expenses estimated at EUR 709 million by 2029. The cumulative cost for all Belgian CPAS is estimated between EUR 631 million and over one billion over the legislative term.

Sources: ONEM; FPS Social Integration; Vivalis (March 2025); Court of Auditors (Feb. 2026); UVCW; IBSA; RTBF (March 2026).

Tensions on the ground (March 2026)

The second wave of exclusions (1 March 2026, people with 8 to 20 years of inactivity) is causing a growing influx into Brussels CPAS. Municipalities are denouncing a federal reform that is "imprecise, with insufficient resources" to absorb those excluded from unemployment benefits.

On 25 March 2026, an individual assaulted a security guard at the Anderlecht CPAS and two police officers from the Brussels-Midi zone. The CPAS was closed on the afternoon of 25 March. This incident illustrates the increasing pressure on municipal social services, which face a surge in applicants without proportional reinforcement of staff or security resources.

Legal challenges to the federal reform are pending before the Council of State.

Institutional reminder: the limitation of unemployment benefits is a measure of the federal government. CPAS, which fall under municipal authority, must absorb those excluded without any leverage over federal employment policy. The Brussels regional government has no direct competence over unemployment benefits but bears the impact through its CPAS and social services.

Drug consumption: Brussels not the "epicentre" of crack (March 2026)

On 11 March 2026, Sciensano published the first national mapping of drug consumption based on wastewater analysis (17 treatment plants, 111 municipalities, 28% of the population, samples from 24 to 30 March 2025).

Results for Brussels:

• Brussels is not the epicentre of crack — contrary to the dominant media narrative. The Antwerp-South treatment plant records the highest concentrations of crack, followed by Charleroi, Namur and Arlon
• Crack was detected in 11 of the 17 treatment plants, across all three regions
• 27% of addiction treatments in Brussels mention crack (versus 15% in Wallonia and 6% in Flanders)
• For cocaine (distinct from crack), Antwerp-South also leads, with Brussels-North in second place

These data significantly nuance the image of Brussels as the "crack capital". There is no typical drug user profile, according to Sciensano. The surveillance campaign will be repeated in 2026.

Sources: Sciensano; BX1, RTBF, La Libre, DH (11 March 2026).

Precarity: Mini-Bru IBSA 2026

The Mini-Bru 2026 confirms the structural precarity in Brussels:

More than one in three Brussels residents (37.3%) is at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE), the highest rate of the three regions.

Source: BISA Mini-Bru 2026 (EU-SILC, Statbel, CBSS, 2024 data).

Subsidised Contract Workers (ACS)

The ACS mechanism funds approximately 10,000 positions in the Brussels non-profit sector (~6,700 active), with a budget of ~EUR 250 million/year. No new positions have been created since 2007. On 3 February 2026, the non-profit sector demonstrated to demand refinancing. The DPR provides for continuing the reform started in 2015.

Source: Actiris / DPR, 2026.

Emergency social-health package (19 March 2026)

The council of ministers of 19 March 2026 approved a set of emergency measures for homeless persons, led by Ministers Laaouej (PS) and De Smedt (Anders):

Shelter — 325 places secured:

• Marie-Curie I (Anderlecht): 185 places extended until 30 June 2026 (including 73 children)
• Evere: 40 places maintained until end of 2026
• Schaerbeek: 60 places maintained until end of 2026
• 40 new places in semi-autonomous housing for families

These places were threatened with closure on 31 March 2026.

Health — Cover team relaunched:

• Follow-up of ~2,000 persons across 50 precarious sites (squats, metro stations)
• Health outreach patrols in the metro resumed
• The Cover team had been suspended following the closure of the Athena Centre

Healthcare access — temporary RMP arrangement:

• Partnership Red Cross + Medecins du Monde
• Medical care for persons without coverage

Sources: RTBF / Belga, BRUZZ (19-20 March 2026).

Citizen Participation

The Brussels Parliament has conducted six deliberative committees between 2021 and 2024, including one on homelessness (2021, ~35 recommendations). Participatory budgets exist in several municipalities. The AGORA mechanism (permanent citizens' assembly for climate) has been inactive since 2024.

Source: Brussels Parliament, 2021-2026.

Vivalis Social Barometer 2025 (15 April 2026)

On 15 April 2026, the Observatory for Health and Social Affairs (Vivalis's research department) publishes the Social Barometer 2025 — the reference report on the state of poverty and social health inequalities in the Brussels Region.

Monetary poverty: 23% of the Brussels population is at risk of poverty, compared with 7% in Flanders and 13% in Wallonia. The apparent drop versus 2023 (28%) remains within the statistical margin of error.

Social Integration Income (RIS): 47,304 recipients on 1 January 2025 — more than in Flanders (45,616) despite a population five times smaller; Wallonia counts 77,207. Among 18-64-year-olds, the share of recipients has risen from 3% in 2002 to nearly 7% in 2025. In Molenbeek and Saint-Josse, more than one adult in ten receives the RIS.

Geography of poverty: six of the ten municipalities with the lowest incomes in Belgium are located in Brussels — Saint-Josse, Molenbeek, Anderlecht, Koekelberg, Schaerbeek and the City of Brussels. Within the Region itself, poverty rates vary two- to threefold between municipalities.

Children: 1 Brussels child in 3 lives in poverty.

Housing — the most deteriorated indicator:

• 55,572 households on the waiting list for social housing (+78% in 15 years), waits often exceeding 10 years
• 24% of Brussels residents live in substandard housing
• 30% in overcrowded housing (including 50% of households with children)
• The poorest 2% devote over 50% of their income to rent, leaving them roughly €10 per person per day to live on

Highly vulnerable populations:

• ~50,000 undocumented persons (≈ 4% of the population)
• 9,777 homeless or precariously housed persons (Bruss'Help count, Nov. 2024), up 25% in two years

Health inequalities:

• Life expectancy gap of around 5 years between the wealthiest and poorest municipalities
• Diabetes three times more prevalent among the poorest 20%
• 1 Brussels resident in 5 shows symptoms of anxiety or depression

Sources: RTBF — Precariousness rises in Brussels, social barometer indicators (15 April 2026); Vivalis — Observatory for Health and Social Affairs. Confidence: official.

Students on integration income (15 April 2026)

On 15 April 2026, BRUZZ publishes, based on data from the Federal PPS Social Integration, the number of adult students who continue their studies while receiving an integration income (RIS) awarded by a public social welfare centre (CPAS/OCMW):

Brussels thus has more integration-income students than all of Flanders, despite a population roughly five times smaller — a direct consequence of the concentration of poverty in the Region (see Vivalis Social Barometer 2025 above). In Flanders, the number of students on integration income has risen by +14% over five years (Ghent: 1,203 ; Mechelen: 584 ; Antwerp: 546).

Institutional reminder: the integration income, awarded by the CPAS/OCMW, currently amounts to EUR 1,340 per month for a single person. An adult student without family support may qualify, under a contract with requirements for study progress (work hours, monitoring by a social worker). The benefit may be suspended if the trajectory is not progressing.

Source: BRUZZ — Brussels has more integration-income students than all of Flanders (15 April 2026). Confidence: official (PPS Social Integration data).

Iriscare: 130 convalescence places (April 2026)

Iriscare (COCOM) launched a call for projects on 1 April 2026 to create 130 convalescence beds in the Brussels-Capital Region (deadline: 15 May 2026). The aim is to establish a structured intermediate care offer between hospital and home — currently non-existent in Brussels.

Funding: co-financing by INAMI (EUR 28.40/day/patient, standard agreement) + Iriscare (operating costs). Regional budget: EUR 250,000 (EUR 1,923/bed/year).

Objectives: improve hospital-to-home care continuity, reduce prolonged hospital stays, offer a quality alternative to rehabilitation.

Institutional note: Iriscare is an institution of the COCOM (Joint Community Commission), responsible for health and personal assistance in the bilingual territory of Brussels-Capital.

Source: Iriscare, 1 April 2026. Confidence: official.

Iriscare: mapping care needs in nursing homes (8 April 2026)

On 8 April 2026, Iriscare published the first results of a survey covering the 118 Brussels nursing homes — the entire estate accredited by COCOM. The questionnaires were completed by the head nurses, the first actors with an overall view of residents' needs.

Main finding: care needs are diversifying and becoming more complex. Residents increasingly combine psychological disorders, cognitive disorders, dependencies, disabilities and social vulnerabilities. Iriscare's management describes needs as « highly divergent and often complex » and calls for going beyond mere medical intensity to integrate a psychosocial and social dimension into assessment.

Stated objective: to better quantify profile complexity so as to align funding and staffing with the reality on the ground. At this stage, the survey constitutes an objective baseline — no budgetary decision is attached. Iriscare funds 211 establishments for the elderly in the Brussels Region (EUR 541M in 2024).

Source: Iriscare — Mapping care needs in nursing homes (8 April 2026). Confidence: official.

3rd wave of the unemployment reform (1 April 2026)

The third and largest wave of the federal unemployment reform took effect on 1 April 2026, targeting people with 2 to 8 years of inactivity. Nationally, 47,691 persons lost their unemployment benefits. In Brussels, 11,215 residents are excluded — the largest single wave for the Region.

Key figures:

• National exclusions (wave 3): 47,691 persons
• Brussels exclusions (wave 3): 11,215 persons
• Cumulative exclusions in Brussels (Jan-Apr 2026): ~33,085 persons
• 41.5% of those excluded in Brussels turn to the CPAS (social welfare centre)
• Hardest-hit municipalities: Molenbeek-Saint-Jean and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode

Timeline of all 6 waves:

The third wave is the most impactful because it covers the broadest range of inactivity durations, affecting a larger pool of unemployed persons. Municipal CPAS centres — already stretched by the first two waves — face a further surge in applicants without proportional reinforcement of staff or budget.

Source: BX1 (1 April 2026).