The most invisible form of homelessness: from sleeping in stairwells to riding buses around in circles
People who are homeless seek "safe alternatives" to protect themselves from street attacks
BarcelonaA rough noise, the whisper of two voices, or a sliver of music at night, when the building is deserted, puts the neighbors on alert. The real shock comes in broad daylight, when they climb the steps from the fifth to the sixth and final floor of the staircase. There, right in front of the armored door leading to the rooftop, lies a tiny mattress boxed in and a small backpack left by the previous night's occasional residents before leaving while the building still remains silent. At night, they will return quietly, trying to go unnoticed. The scene is in a building in the Sants neighborhood of Barcelona, where residents have decided in a meeting to close off the final section of the staircase with a gate. Between fear and unease, the residents of the fifth floor—who wish to remain anonymous—explain that it isn't always the same people hiding on the top floor, and they suspect that someone must have a key to the front door. In the few months this situation has lasted, there has never been any conflict. The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) confirm that there are no complaints or noteworthy incidents related to these situations. In fact, beyond living on the streets in squares or tents, homelessness is basically an invisible phenomenon, and in most cases, there is coexistence. Neighbors even tend to "take care" of the people sleeping there, bringing them "hot soup or blankets." "A community is created," says Raquel Rico, a homelessness specialist with the Girona City Council and president of the Girona branch of the College of Social Educators of Catalonia (CEESC), who emphasizes the need to "humanize" homeless people. "They feel like garbage, and a simple 'Good morning!' gives them life," the expert states.
From the street to work
Situations like the one described at the Sants estate are not new. Homelessness is on the rise As rental prices continue to rise and all published reports reveal that more and more people are falling into poverty, They cannot afford the household expensesThey have separated or suffered an illness that has reduced their income. Experts emphasize that they are increasingly encountering profiles of people who workThe problem is that the few services available for the homeless are overwhelmed and not sized to meet the real needs. Outdated and incomplete figures place the number of homeless people in Catalonia at around 60,000, including those living on the streets or in substandard housing. The street, the open air, is—especially for women—"the very last resort," Rico maintains. Before resorting to that, they try other "alternatives" that force them into "invisibility" from the rest of the community, explains Núria Martínez, director of the Huerto de la Villa Residential Inclusion Center of Sant Joan de Déu Social Services Barcelona. "They are aware that, at the slightest provocation, neighbors can evict them for any incident," Martínez continues. She also points out that, despite the fear that homeless people can generate in certain sectors of the population, the truth is that this fear is often more intense among those who live on the streets. According to Rico, although he says he understands them, they are "unfounded fears," and he points out that there are There are more attacks against homeless people than vice versa..
They are alone, with no door and no one to protect them – beyond the dogs, who keep them company and give them affection – so they look for a "safe" place to escape from theaporophobia (hatred of poverty)Expressed in physical attacks, but also in insults or questioning stares, Martínez points out, adding that the street sharpens "the instinct for survival and pragmatism," and the goal is "not to lose your documents, to be able to shower and eat, and not to suffer any harm."
The fragility of the night
Both social workers deal daily with people who have been on the streets or are still there. They know them because they have been told what "strategies" they use to avoid spending nights on the street. It is mostly women who seek these alternatives. And when they find themselves in this state of homelessness, they surely carry with them hardships, such as situations of intimidation, violence, and being forced to submit in exchange for a place to sleep. She recalls the stories of women who were assaulted because a stranger offered them 20 euros for sex at a hospital entrance, or how another man who had stolen a homeless woman's cell phone asked her for sex in exchange for its return. "She accepted because she wanted to recover the photos of her children that she had saved," she explains.
Asís's surveys confirm the differences between men and women experiencing homelessness. There are women who avoid the streets at all costs and, when they can, enter subway stations or board a night bus and remain there all night, wandering around. "They find safety, they are insulated from the cold and the heat, protected from attacks," explains this leading organization in the female homelessnessMany sleep during the day because they feel safer in sunlight, believing nothing will happen to them, and they are awake at night, experts agree. At night, homeless people are "more vulnerable" and find refuge in ATMs, but also in train stations and airports. (despite the fact that El Prat airport has been fortified to prohibit entry to homeless people)) and also in the waiting rooms of hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
From Girona, Rico recounts the story of a woman who at night "walked behind the garbage truck." Anywhere but lying on the street, where "they always sleep with one eye open and can't rest," Martínez points out. This situation translates into stress, anxiety, or depression, disorders suffered by at least two out of every ten homeless people. Martínez also recalls how a mother staying at one of the SJD centers would spend much of the morning sitting on a bench while her adult son, who survived on the street, "slept in her lap." "Desperation," as Martínez remembers, also led people evicted from their apartments to hide in a corner of the building, living almost in secret.
