SOS from the town councils in the Generalitat to help people living on the streets

BarcelonaCatalan municipalities have issued a plea for help, urging the Generalitat (Catalan government) not to abandon them in assisting people experiencing homelessness. While there is no official census quantifying homelessness, it is clearly a widespread phenomenon. It already surpasses the metropolitan area and extends to small towns throughout the country. Local councils agree that, currently, the problem lacks sufficient financial resources.

The mayors' SOS was strongly felt at the summit convened this Thursday by the ombudsperson for grievances, Esther Giménez-Salinas, with the presence of the Minister of Social Rights, Mònica Martínez Bravo; municipal representatives from some twenty towns –Vilanova, BarcelonaEl Masnou, MartorellManresa, Badalona and L'HospitaletAmong others; the president of the Barcelona Provincial Council, Lluïsa Moret, and the president of the Third Sector Roundtable, Xavier Trabado.

After a four-hour meeting around a large rectangular table, the general tone among the attendees was one of optimism. The ombudsperson expressed confidence that a national agreement could be reached and urged local councils to join one of the five working groups that will be established to lay the groundwork for the spring of 2026.

At this summit, the ombudsperson arrived with fresh data on homelessness. In the absence of an official census, the institution distributed a questionnaire in November in 84 municipalities—in the metropolitan area and with more than 20,000 inhabitants—to ask how many people sleep rough and whether they sleep in settlements, on the street, or in occupied buildings. Seven of the municipalities did not respond, even though they are obligated to address the Ombudsman's demands. The surveys indicate that there are 6,724 people experiencing homelessnessThis figure excludes those in shelters, social hostels, or substandard housing. During the discussion, sources consulted by ARA who were present at the meeting explained that the mayors focused primarily on demanding more funding from the Generalitat (Catalan government) to assist the homeless, as their own budgets are insufficient. In fact, the complaints about budgetary constraints were not limited to homelessness, and many of the speakers acknowledged financial difficulties for basic social services, the first to receive citizens' concerns. Outside the meeting, Regional Minister Martínez Bravo assured the commitment to support the municipalities and acknowledged that, although it is a municipal responsibility, the regional government must redouble its efforts. More than 400 settlements

Of the nearly 7,000 people living on the streets, 4,000 are in the metropolitan area and 4,300 sleep rough, while the rest of the identified individuals live in 409 settlementswhether outdoors or in occupied buildings. Slightly more than half (52%) are under the supervision of municipal social services. By age, those at the extremes of life are the least represented: the Minors represent 2.6% and people over 66 years of age, 5%.By gender, the female homelessness –still under-analyzed– represents 12% of the total, although if we focus on shelters, hostels, or subletting rooms, there are more women.

To try to provide support to this group –heterogeneous and with diverse needs–, there is a proposed law on homelessness in Parliament, presented by social organizations, which proposes making it mandatory for municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants to have specific services for homeless people, such as showers, censuses, and street outreach workers. According to data from the Ombudsman's survey, today 47% of municipalities do not offer residential places and 52% do not have a soup kitchen. Around 60% do provide hygiene and clothing.

After four years of procedures and languishing at the end of the previous legislature, the proposal is stalled awaiting the completion of the parties' objections. The initiative is causing concern among local authorities due to the mandatory nature of the measure if it is not accompanied by funding, and this concern has been expressed in most of the interventions, according to the regional minister. Conversely, there have been no interventions regarding the obstacles that local councils put pressure on the registration of homeless peoplewithout a fixed address or housing contract, although the state law is clear.

For Giménez-Salinas, the mayors' demands for more funding for social services are reasonable and fair, while the president of the Third Sector Roundtable has argued that social organizations must have governance and decision-making power in how to address the elimination of homelessness, because they are the ones who support the people and professionals.