Barcelona will rehouse residents facing eviction in Vallcarca at Casa Orsola and two other blocks

BarcelonaBarcelona closed one of its most pressing issues on Tuesday. The city's ombudsman, David Bondia, concluded the mediation process he initiated between the municipal government and the residents facing eviction from the occupied municipal buildings at 83 and 87 bis Vallcarca Avenue and 3 Farigola Street. As he explained at a press conference, 28 of the 30 residents met the vulnerability criteria. Of these, half accepted the proposed solution, while the other half did not. Those who accepted the solution offered by the ombudsman will soon be rehoused in three apartments in Torre Baró, in the Gothic Quarter, and in one of the available units in Casa Orsola, in the Eixample district. However, none will remain in their original neighborhood. The ombudsman admitted that it has been impossible to find available apartments in Vallcarca or the Gràcia district. Despite closing the mediation process, the ombudsman expressed confidence that some of those who have so far rejected the offered solutions will eventually accept them. Regarding these 14 people, Bondia explained that they will remain in contact with social services and the organizations that assist them. However, they will do so under the threat of eviction at any moment. The first deputy mayor, Laia Bonet, confirmed that once the mediation process is closed, the procedures to clear these buildings, considered substandard housing and affected by the area's urban planning regulations, will continue. Among those who rejected the mediation, six are from the same family unit (a couple with two children and two grandparents), an elderly couple, and another couple with two children. Bondia —who initiated the mediation on behalf of the City Council as part of the pre-agreement Bonet, speaking about the ongoing budget negotiations between the PSC and Barcelona en Comú, expressed satisfaction at having been able to offer housing solutions within six months for 28 of the 30 people living in these three occupied buildings. Regarding the two people who were not offered alternative housing, Bondia explained that they did not meet the vulnerability criteria to qualify for social housing. Bonet considered the mediation by the ombudsman—in which the Federation of Roma Associations of Catalonia (FAGIC), the Secretariat of the Roma People, and Habitat3 also participated—to be "exemplary" and emphasized that housing was available for all vulnerable individuals. Regarding the fact that the working group on the modification of the urban planning regulations has not yet met, Bonet argued that it was "urgent" to first find solutions for the affected families. However, he explained that the municipal government's proposal will be to reclassify two buildings located above Agramunt Street and add approximately seventy social housing units in an area where apartment buildings were not previously planned.

"Agreements under threats"

Som Barri, the platform representing some of the Vallcarca residents affected by the area's urban planning, has been highly critical of the agreement, accusing the ombudsman of "whitewashing the City Council." According to the group's lawyer, Ester Murillo, those who agreed to be rehoused did so "under duress and threats," as they were warned that if they didn't accept the move, they could be evicted by the City Council at any moment. She also asserted that "they were presented with documents in Catalan that they didn't understand" or whose content was not explained to them. Murillo also criticized the fact that the mediation process was limited to finding new homes for the families involved in the blogs without even opening negotiations on possible changes to the planning regulations that could prevent the demolition of the three occupied buildings. The lawyer also denounced that the proposals made by the ombudsman and the City Council force those affected to leave Vallcarca and start their lives over in other neighborhoods of the city, requiring them to change schools in the case of the children. One of the residents who rejected the ombudsman and City Council's proposal is Carmen. In statements to reporters, she explained that she doesn't accept it because she currently lives with her partner, children, and grandparents in the same home, and the offer they received forces them to separate from the grandparents. Furthermore, she said, her children are very integrated into the neighborhood and the school and don't want to leave. "It's very difficult to integrate children into another school and make new friends," she lamented. In a subsequent statement, Som Barri and the Vallcarca Housing Union denounced "a lack of transparency and irregularities" in the ombudsman's actions. According to them, the municipal government "has used the ombudsman to prematurely close the process without providing it with the necessary time and resources." They also criticize the fact that two people were excluded from the process, learning of the mediation's end by telephone on Monday night "without argument or justification."

The outcome of the agreement has also failed to satisfy the opposition groups. Barcelona en Comú—the party that agreed to mediation with the government—is dissatisfied because it doesn't address the concerns of all affected residents and because no dialogue has been opened to modify an urban development plan they consider "outdated." When asked about the work of the ombudsman, BComú spokesperson Marc Serra admitted they couldn't offer a very positive assessment because half of the affected residents currently have no alternative to eviction. In this regard, Serra demanded that Mayor Jaume Collboni ensure no evictions take place. Junts, on the other hand, criticized the municipal government for only acting when it faces "a media problem." "This government only acts to solve its own problems, not those of the people," said councilor Joan Rodríguez, who emphasized that other vulnerable people who have followed the procedures to obtain social housing will see how these Vallcarca residents are progressing because "they have managed to become a problem for the City Council."