Bekkevoort (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – From November 24, 2025, about 40 asylum-seeking families will stay at Bekkevoort’s Zozimus youth centre under the Red Cross, with municipal support and Vlaams Belang raising objections.
As VRT News reported, from November 24, 2025, about 40 asylum seekers will be given temporary shelter at the Zozimus youth centre in the Ossenberg area of Bekkevoort, in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium. The Red Cross will run the centre and provide food, care, and daily support. Only families with children will be accommodated, as the facility does not cater to single adults.
Officials mentioned that the shelter is part of an emergency plan to ease the pressure on Belgium’s asylum system. The families can remain until March 3, 2026, after which they will be placed in permanent housing through Fedasil, the federal agency for the reception of asylum seekers. The Red Cross says all residents will receive basic help and proper living conditions during their stay.
“The only place asylum seekers belong while they await the asylum procedure is a closed centre,”
says Frédéric Erens, a member of the Flemish Parliament for Vlaams Belang.
“Such centres already exist in our country, but they are overcrowded.”
“That’s due to the influx of asylum seekers,” says Erens. Europe, Belgium, and especially Flanders, are magnets for asylum seekers, thanks to the social security that has been developed here. That has to stop.”
What is happening as Bekkevoort hosts 40 asylum families?
Vlaams Belang representative Erens said that Belgium does not need asylum seekers to support its economy. He criticised the plan to house families at the Zozimus youth centre in Bekkevoort, calling it the wrong choice for the town. Erens said the government should give priority to Belgian citizens who need housing and assistance.
The party argues that small towns are not suitable places for temporary asylum reception and that youth centres should be used for their original purpose. The statement follows Vlaams Belang’s broader opposition to new reception centres in rural areas across the country.
“It’s time to pop that balloon. That’s simply not true. We shouldn’t be creating new asylum places, but rather reducing them.”
“Too many people are abusing our asylum procedures,”
says the MP.
“I’m talking about economic migrants. This has to stop. That’s why we need to scrutinise asylum applications much more rigorously.”
The Bekkevoort municipal government has announced that it is working closely with the Red Cross and the local police. A contact point for residents has been set up in the town centre where people can ask questions or share concerns about the shelter.
According to Mayor Hans Vandenberg (CD&V Plus), the previous reception periods in Bekkevoort went well and caused no major problems. He said cooperation between the partners has been effective and that clear communication with residents will continue during the reception period.
In 2022 and 2023, Belgium faced a severe shortage of accommodation for asylum seekers, prompting the government to establish emergency shelters in several towns, including Bekkevoort. The Zozimus youth centre was already used in 2022 to house about 40 people under the care of the Red Cross.
