Brussels Salvation Army Shelter to Close After 50 Years

A Salvation Army shelter that has served vulnerable populations in Brussels for more than five decades will close its doors at the end of June, leaving 34 residents and eight staff members facing an uncertain future. The Foyer Bodeghem, located on Rue Bodeghem in the Anneessens neighborhood, can no longer sustain operations after operating without public subsidies for over two years, according to RTBF.

A Funding Crisis Years in the Making

The shelter’s financial troubles began at the end of 2023, when the Common Community Commission (COCOM) — the Brussels-Capital Region body responsible for social affairs — provided its last public subsidy. Since then, the ASBL des Œuvres sociales de l’Armée du Salut has kept the facility running using its own reserves, supplemented by donations and legacies. The Salvation Army has invested over €300,000 of its own funds to bring the building up to required accreditation standards.

Despite these efforts, the annual funding gap now stands at approximately €650,000. Without a guarantee of renewed public financing for 2026, the association’s board of directors concluded that continuing operations posed an unacceptable financial risk.

“Since 24 months, the establishment has been operating without public subsidies,” the Salvation Army stated in an April 24 press release. “The ASBL of the Social Works of the Salvation Army has until now assumed the financing from its own funds, with the support of donations and legacies received in recent months.”

A Bureaucratic Deadlock

The closure highlights a breakdown between accreditation processes and funding mechanisms in Brussels’ social housing system. COCOM confirmed that the shelter received its last payment in 2023. In 2024, the Foyer Bodeghem applied for accreditation as a reception home, but required renovations were not completed in time to unlock conditional funding from then-supervising Minister Alain Maron (Ecolo).

By the time the works were finished — at the Salvation Army’s own expense — COCOM had entered “affaires courantes” (caretaker mode) throughout 2025 due to political transition. During this period, no new funding decisions could be made that would commit the incoming government. Although the center eventually received accreditation, as COCOM noted, “accreditation does not mean automatic funding.”

Alexis, one of the eight employees who has already received notice, expressed frustration to RTBF: “The situation is all the more unfair because our association complied with the authorities’ requirements regarding reception. The building here has just been renovated, so the Salvation Army, on its own funds, has just injected more than €300,000 to bring the building up to standards.”

Broader Pressures on Social Services

The closure comes amid significant budgetary constraints across the Brussels-Capital Region. In May 2026, it was reported that €16 million per year in municipal funding was being cut, affecting local services across the capital. The shelter’s funding gap of €650,000 must be seen in this broader context of fiscal pressure on social services, as noted by Bruzz.

Brussels faces a growing homelessness crisis. According to the 2024 Bruss’help census, the number of homeless people in the region continues to rise, and emergency shelter capacity is under severe strain. The loss of 34 beds from the Foyer Bodeghem will further squeeze an already overstretched system.

A Narrow Window of Hope

The Salvation Army has launched an urgent appeal for solidarity, seeking €300,000 to sustain operations for six more months at reduced capacity. “The disappearance of this service, active for more than fifty years, would represent not only a major human and social loss in Brussels, but also a loss of know-how in terms of social support,” the organization warned.

The political responsibility now falls on Ahmed Laaouej (PS), who became Brussels Minister for Social Action and Solidarities on February 14, 2026. His cabinet confirmed on May 22 that the file is under study and that facultative (one-off) subsidies remain a possibility, as reported by DHnet. However, no decision has been made, and time is running out.

What to Watch For

With the end-of-June deadline approaching, the coming weeks will determine whether Minister Laaouej grants emergency funding or whether the Foyer Bodeghem becomes another casualty of Brussels’ strained social budget. The case also raises broader questions about how the region coordinates accreditation processes with funding cycles — a gap that has now put a half-century-old institution at risk of permanent closure.

For the 34 residents who call the shelter home, and the dozens of former residents who still rely on its daily support, the stakes could not be higher.