The new shantytown and homelessness, a social challenge

BarcelonaSlum dwelling became a consolidated reality in the Barcelona of the 60s, with nuclei that became true neighborhoods like Montjuïc or El Somorrostro, but it seemed to have been left behind in the 90s with the major urban development projects that the Olympic Games brought. Instead, homelessness was never completely eradicated, but it was linked to situations of extreme marginality or addiction. Now, with the arrival of new contingents of immigrant population (just as happened in the 60s), both homelessness and a new form of slum dwelling are proliferating again and pose an enormous political challenge to a society that, while it has prospered economically greatly in the last 50 years, maintains significant social differences.

The fact is that the phenomenon has acquired a sufficiently important dimension for the administration to focus on it, since, apart from the personal drama of people who are forced to live on the street or in miserable sub-standard housing, there are associated problems that are fuel for the far-right, as racism is often linked to aporophobia, that is, to the rejection of the poor. From the outset, it is essential that this issue is not left in the hands of each municipal government, because this leads to a race to get rid of these people by sending them to another town. It must be the Generalitat that coordinates policies and provides the necessary resources to prevent the discourse of demagogues and populists from taking root among the population. The homelessness law that is being processed in Parliament must be accelerated and accompanied by the relevant economic report.

Investing in social policies and in facilities that serve to house people who have nothing or have lost everything can be an exercise in defending human rights or a position of Christian morality, in line with the speeches of Pope Leo XIV these days, but it can also be seen as an investment that serves both to reintegrate many of these people into the workforce and to facilitate coexistence in neighborhoods. One only needs to read the testimonies collected by ARA to verify that, apart from specific cases normally related to mental illness or addiction, no one lives this way by their own will. Closing one's eyes and doing nothing will only worsen the situation and give encouragement to those who demand mass deportations in the style of ICE in the United States.

In this whole struggle there are protagonists who deserve special recognition, and they are the NGOs and organizations that work with the homeless. Every day, volunteers from Arrels Foundation, Friends of the Fourth World, and the Red Cross walk the streets and bring warmth and basic supplies to these people, who appreciate it. In a world where fierce individualism and lack of empathy reign, their example is especially inspiring.