Social affairs: safety nets under strain

A sector under growing pressure

The Brussels social sector faces a convergence of crises: the federal unemployment reform is pushing tens of thousands of people towards CPAS, COCOM bicommunal investments are frozen due to the absence of a government, and needs in homelessness and mental health continue to rise.

The Common Community Commission (COCOM/GGC), responsible for bipersonal matters in Brussels (social welfare, health, elderly care, disability), has been in caretaker mode since June 2024. Its executive arm, Iriscare, continues its basic functions but cannot launch any new initiatives.

CPAS under pressure

The influx linked to the unemployment reform

The federal unemployment reform, which came into force on 1 January 2026, excludes tens of thousands of Brussels residents from unemployment benefits. These people turn to CPAS to obtain the Social Integration Income (RIS).

At the end of 2024, approximately 47,000 people were receiving the RIS in the Brussels Region (source: IBSA / FPS Social Integration). This figure is on a structural upward trend, and the full impact of the unemployment reform will only be felt during 2026.

First wave: real figures (January 2026)

The first impact figures from the unemployment reform on Brussels CPAS are now available. In January 2026, CPAS recorded 243 presentations from people who had lost their right to benefits, of which 67 RIS applications were approved. These figures, below the most alarmist projections, are explained by a latency effect: the real shock is expected in March-April 2026, once waiting periods and appeals are exhausted.

The burden on municipalities

The 19 Brussels CPAS are funded partly by the federal level (RIS reimbursement) and partly by the municipalities. Federal compensation is degressive:

• 100% in the first year for new recipients coming from unemployment
• 90% in the second year
• 75% from the fourth year onwards

This degressive schedule gradually shifts the burden to municipalities, whose budgets are already constrained. Brulocalis estimates that the budget impact for Brussels CPAS could reach several tens of millions of euros per year from 2027.

Recruitment: an important nuance

CPAS have been able to hire 38 social workers and 14 administrative staff thanks to targeted federal funds (unemployment reform compensation). This reinforcement is real but remains insufficient given the expected influx: CPAS estimate they need 3 to 5 times more staff to absorb the March 2026 shock.

What CPAS cannot do

• Launch structural socio-professional integration programmes (regional competence)
• Adapt services to growing needs without a new regional budget envelope

Frozen COCOM investments

The role of COCOM

The Common Community Commission is the bicommunal institution responsible for personal welfare and health matters in Brussels. It funds and regulates:

• Residential care homes
• Home care
• Mental health services
• Homelessness policy
• Childcare (bicommunal component)

What is blocked

In caretaker mode, COCOM operates on provisional twelfths. In practice:

• No new accreditations for social welfare services
• No refinancing of expired multi-year agreements
• No new places in residential care homes, despite an ageing population
• No expansion of outpatient mental health services

Iriscare, the public interest body that implements COCOM policy, continues to process routine files but describes the situation as "operating at minimum capacity".

Homelessness policy at a standstill

The figures

The last census conducted by Bruss'Help in November 2024 counted 9,777 homeless or houseless persons in Brussels — +24.5% in two years. This figure is on a steady upward trend: it was 5,313 in 2020 and 7,134 in 2022.

What is missing

The homelessness action plan requires political decisions that the caretaker government cannot take:

• Housing First: no extension of the programme despite proven results
• Emergency shelter places: the winter shelter system operates, but making places permanent requires a multi-year budget commitment
• Transitional housing: no new agreements between COCOM and municipalities
• Coordination of stakeholders: Bruss'Help provides operational coordination, but without new policy direction

Mental health: growing needs without a response

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a lasting increase in mental health needs, particularly among young people and vulnerable populations. Brussels mental health services are saturated, with waiting lists of several months.

In caretaker mode:

• No new mental health initiatives have been launched since June 2024
• Existing mobile crisis teams continue to operate, but without reinforcement
• The Brussels Mental Health Network has not received additional resources
• Agreements with hospitals for psychiatric emergencies have not been renewed

What continues to function

• Iriscare: routine management of accreditations, payments to providers, inspections
• CPAS: RIS allocation, social assistance, individual support
• Bruss'Help: coordination of the homelessness sector, census, winter plan
• Accredited mental health services: consultations within their current capacity
• Winter shelter scheme: emergency accommodation during the winter period

Why this matters

The social sector is the last safety net for Brussels' most vulnerable residents. Nearly 10,000 people live without housing. When the unemployment reform excludes tens of thousands of people, homelessness is rising and mental health needs are surging, the Region's inability to take structural decisions has a direct human cost. CPAS, Iriscare and the voluntary sector absorb the shocks with existing resources, but every month without a government postpones the structural responses that Brussels needs.