3,000 families are waiting for social housing in Catalonia

BarcelonaAround 3,000 Catalan families are waiting to be allocated social housing, but the high demand and limited supply of apartments available to organizations and the government mean that waiting lists continue to grow, even though applicants meet the requirements and have received a favorable decision. Until this solution arrives, most families survive by subletting or even staying in social hostels.

The steady stream of evictions, high social vulnerability, and long waiting times are swelling the lists, according to the annual report of the Catalan Ombudsman, presented this Wednesday. Of the 3,000 families, a thousand are from the city of Barcelona and another thousand from towns with their own emergency housing boards; public bodies created a decade ago to address the significant housing needs resulting from the economic crisis. According to data from September 2025, the average wait time between registering an application and being allocated housing is 522 days (one year, four months, and three days), compared to 469 days a year earlier. This is the average wait time, although for two out of every ten units, the delay is two years.

Social housing waiting lists are not the only ones that have increased in the last year. In fact, half of the complaints received by the institution's office correspond to delays in various social services. These range from surgical procedures (an average of 148 days) to a place in a residence for people with disabilities (1,991 days; that is, 5.4 years) or mental health care (1,341 days), or for the guaranteed minimum income (122 days).

At a press conference, the ombudsperson for grievances, Esther Giménez-Salinas, criticized the administration for its "defensive bureaucracy," which forces healthcare and education professionals to dedicate 30% of their workday to paperwork and citizens to search for and submit documentation at multiple offices. "Either we change the system and improve efficiency, or we will continue to see longer waiting times," stated Giménez-Salinas, who called for a "national agreement." She also emphasized the "paradox" that it's not simply a matter of allocating more money, but rather of introducing more efficient methods and a single point of contact for procedures. In fact, most social services have increased their staffing levels, but the pressure on services has continued to rise because the same systems and errors persist. Last year, the Ombudsman's office closed with 13,646 complaints, a record number exceeding that registered during the pandemic. This explains the extent to which citizens feel neglected and aggravated by the treatment they receive from the authorities. In 92% of cases, the institution's recommendations are accepted, but the Ombudsman criticized the administration for limiting itself to "resolving individual complaints," while other forms of discrimination and systemic malfunctions go unaddressed. Therefore, she encouraged citizens to file complaints and thus exert pressure to "transform the system," which, she said, "is possible": "We're not talking about pipe dreams," she summarized. 300 minors in foster care

Of all the administration's shortcomings, the ombudsperson considers some points "unacceptable" that persist and become normalized year after year. Giménez-Salinas has once again warned that 300 children under the age of six reside in foster care centers, a situation she wants to eradicate. She insisted that it is necessary to increase aid to families who, through negligence or poverty, neglect their children, but who, with professional support (as is done with minors in the juvenile justice system), can avoid having their children removed from their care. "Can't this country provide for 300 children?" she asked rhetorically. In this context, Giménez-Salinas also mentions the increase in homelessness throughout Catalonia, the fact that only 1% of young Catalans receive support for becoming independent, and the 14-month wait for the disability certificate that grants access to aid and tax breaks. Conversely, the report also highlights good administrative practices, proof that "if there's a will, things can be done right," according to the ombudsperson, who referred to the success of vocational training in shedding its pejorative stigma and becoming an option for thousands of young people who would have otherwise dropped out; the improvement in transparency; and the reduction in the number of minors sentenced to closed facilities. She also emphasized the effective functioning of palliative care in hospitals and homes, although she noted the need to extend it to pediatric patients as well.