A new framework for addressing homelessness in Catalonia
The first count of homeless people in Barcelona was conducted in 2008. At that time, 658 people were counted living on the streets and 1,190 were staying overnight in public and private facilities belonging to the Barcelona Homeless Services Network (XAPSLL). In 2022, the recorded figures were 895 people living on the streets and 3,941 in shelters. Although other municipalities in Catalonia, such as Girona, Lleida, Tarragona, Sant Adrià de Besòs, Badalona, and Mataró, have also conducted counts, the overall figure is unknown, as not all Catalan municipalities carry them out, and those that do do not have annual data.
Policies to address homelessness have been intermittent and uneven in Catalonia, although there have been several attempts to define action models and comprehensive strategies, none have been able to be applied for various reasons.
A Catalan law for the rights of homeless people
In 2010, the Generalitat of Catalonia, together with entities in the sector, developed a Model for the care of homeless people , which was never implemented.
In December 2016, the Government of Catalonia approved, by agreement , the development of the Comprehensive Strategy for Addressing Homelessness in Catalonia. The Strategy document was created through a participatory and collaborative process with numerous representatives from public administrations, universities, and third-sector organizations. This strategy included objectives, strategic lines, actions, a proposed planning framework and organizational structure, an evaluation system, and a budget. However, this strategy was never approved or implemented.
Five years later, on March 29, 2022, a Framework for Action to Address Homelessness in Catalonia 2022-2025 was approved . This is the current instrument of the Government of Catalonia for developing a comprehensive approach to homelessness. The Framework for Action estimates that 2,531 people are living on the streets in Catalonia and nearly 9,000 are homeless. It aims to address the impact on the social protection system to guarantee the right to housing for all and reduce the number of people living on the streets, as well as shorten the waiting time between homelessness and access to a support service.
The framework for action aims to influence a change in society's perception of homeless people in order to avoid the stigmatization of people experiencing homelessness and to fight against aporophobia.
Three main lines of intervention are established:
- The acquisition of decent residential spaces
- The creation of a system and support, which aims to harmonize intervention models
- The proposal for a model of support for homeless people
The Framework for Action contains six strategic lines:
- The guarantee of the right to housing for homeless people.
- Right to socio-educational and employment support, rooted in the community and integrated.
- Specialized care.
- Right to health and the health system.
- Raising awareness about homelessness with the participation of homeless and homeless people and eradicating aporophobia.
- Knowledge and information management.
A group comprised of representatives from public administrations and social organizations, including San Juan de Dios, has been monitoring the implementation of this new framework since May 2022. Simultaneously, a model for assisting homeless individuals is being developed in collaboration with third-sector organizations. This model emphasizes contact and connection with individuals, reception, recovery, and stabilization. This phase also aims to review the existing portfolio of services for homeless people to adapt it to current needs and the requirements of the new care model.
Dr. Albert Sales Campos
The third sector has been advocating for many years for a policy to combat homelessness in all its dimensions and forms, from street dwellings to forms of residential exclusion through insecure and inadequate housing. These housing policies must be sustained over time and accompanied by laws that guarantee no one loses their home and everyone has the right to access one.
This new framework for action to address homelessness in Catalonia 2022-2025 is also an opportunity to recognize the social initiative already underway to combat residential exclusion and to establish actions that eradicate this phenomenon and can combat the causes that originate it.
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