Agreement to assist the hundred people who spend the night at El Prat Airport

BarcelonaFinally, the Government and the city councils of El Prat and Barcelona are finalizing an agreement to address the An estimated 160 people spend the night in the airport terminals each night. Barcelona. The three administrations plan to sign a contract, to be renewed annually, in which the Catalan government commits to providing half a million euros to cover the basic needs and social support of these individuals. In fact, this involves returning to the special plan for homelessness that began in 2011, but was halted at the end of 2023 when the previous agreement expired and was not renewed for political reasons. El Prat Airport (El Prat) is urging a date to sign the text so that it can be "formalized as soon as possible."

In February, Aena, the public company that manages the airport facilities, unexpectedly ordered the 24-hour eviction of homeless people who have turned to Terminals 1 and 2 as a refuge to avoid the streets. Without any social support, a Mossos d'Esquadra unit then limited entry to the airport to workers and passengers who were scheduled to catch a flight, and the homeless had to find another place to spend the night. However, none of them requested assistance from social services in either El Prat or Barcelona, and they were distributed throughout various points in the metropolitan area.

The agreement includes a specialized homelessness team from Barcelona City Council that will be responsible for identifying and monitoring people who spend the night, providing them with basic social coverage and connecting them with social services or other resources. In the municipality of El Prat, municipal social services will be strengthened so that they can also assist people who spend the night in the vicinity of the airport.

The proposed agreement, which has not yet been signed, also specifies the creation of a Technical Intervention Project Board (TTPI) to address the most complex cases in a coordinated manner between the administrations involved. The technicians who form part of it will meet monthly to diagnose and analyze the situation.

According to sources from the El Prat City Council, the drafts of the agreement that have emerged reaffirm the council's demand that homelessness at the airport requires a "national approach" and demand that the Generalitat (Catalan government) not leave municipalities alone to deal with a situation of maximum vulnerability. This administration must lead the way in addressing these situations, with coordination and sufficient funding.