Is it possible to put an end to homelessness?

Is it possible to put an end to homelessness? It was possible a few decades ago, in pre-Olympic Barcelona. Those were years of plenty and civic optimism. It was successfully reduced to its absolute minimum. But things have changed a lot. Now, without a doubt, we are in a different moment.

During the 21st century, the problem has not stopped growing in the wake of the chaining and overlapping of crises: economic, pandemic, housing, demographic, mental health, etc. The phenomenon is especially serious and visible in large urban centers. This spring, public opinion was shaken by the episode in Badalona of the eviction—without offering alternatives to those affected—of the former B9 Institute, where more than a hundred people were living in dire conditions.

The reality is that homelessness is entrenched. There are structural causes that make a radical solution difficult. The combination of high housing prices and job insecurity is an explosive cocktail of poverty that leaves many lives exposed to the elements and marginalization, and not always people at the limit; also some who perhaps not long ago enjoyed a roof and considered themselves middle class. Faced with this, beyond seeking a systemic change that avoids this increasingly significant pool of people falling into exclusion, it is necessary to cushion the blow for those who are on the street. For a minimum sense of collective dignity, yes, but also for citizen safety and health.

In this sense, the Government's announcement to double the annual contribution of the Department of Social Rights to municipalities to address homelessness, which goes from 15 to 30 million euros, is relevant. Furthermore, Social Rights has also strengthened collaboration with the local world with 115 new professionals assigned to 70 basic areas. The figure of 30 million, however, is far from what the Ombudsman requests—calculating that 73 million would be needed—or what they consider should be invested by the Table of Entities of the Third Social Sector—setting a minimum figure of 100 million. In Barcelona alone, the City Council already dedicates 50 million each year: almost a million a week. The feeling, on the other hand, continues to be one of a growing presence of people living and sleeping on the street. Not in vain, the capital concentrates and attracts the bulk of the phenomenon.

While it is true that addressing homelessness is a municipal responsibility, it is also evident that many municipalities lack the budgetary capacity to deal with it. In some cases, however, they also lack the political will and only aspire to get rid of the problem, often by waving the flag of a hardline approach. This has happened in the Badalona of Xavier García Albiol, with his policy of “cleaning up.” The far-right has adopted the idea of expulsion as the only option, even though in practice it is unfeasible: in reality, it only moves the problem elsewhere. Furthermore, it acts and preaches exclusion without any humanitarian consideration for the existence of affected minors, or pregnant women, or people with mental health issues, illnesses, or serious addictions.

Ending homelessness is a civic desideratum that presents great difficulty. It is necessary, therefore, for administrations and civil society to work on it in a coordinated manner.