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The recent cold snap may have had Belgians shivering, but it has also prompted "a wave of solidarity with the homeless," reports De Standaard. Thanks to a number of private initiatives, several families who had spent weeks sleeping in the Gare du Nord in Brussels have been given temporary accommodation. Eight Slovaks who wanted to return to their country "after weeks of poverty in unsanitary conditions in Brussels," were offered a hotel for the night and a free flight home by a businessman philanthropist. King Albert II has made available two apartments in his estate at Ciergnon, and a military barracks will soon provide accommodation for 24 more people. The Flemish daily wonders "why in a country like Belgium, you can still find children sleeping outdoors in freezing weather," and blames apathy among the country's politicians.
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