Three homeless people die on the streets of Badalona in two months

BarcelonaA homeless man died Tuesday morning in a square in Badalona. His name was Jordi, and he was 52 years old. He was known in the city, as he had run a butcher shop a few years ago. But the business failed, and for the past few months he had been sleeping on the streets. Witnesses found him lifeless on a bench in Elisa Reverter Square, located in a part of Badalona that practically borders Montgat. The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) confirmed that the body showed no signs of violence, and everything points to a natural death.

In the last two months, three homeless people have died in the city of Badalona. The first died on Three Kings' Day. in the middle of a cold waveThe first incident occurred just a few weeks ago, on February 21st. In a social media post, the Xavier García Albiol City Council stated that Jordi "had repeatedly refused the accommodation offered to him by social services." Specifically, according to the council, he was offered the temporary accommodation services that social services provide for emergency situations.

The organization Badalona Acull criticizes the city council for always making the same comment: "In every death, the reason is the same: he didn't want help." They assert that this is a "classic excuse." "Something more needs to be done," they add, insisting that "it's very difficult to escape" homelessness and that people who find themselves in it must be supported. In fact, Badalona Acull knew Jordi and brought him food. The organization also offered him other types of assistance. Badalona Acull adds that right now in Badalona there are no support services to accommodate homeless people, even though the city council offers them. "There's neither a shelter nor an emergency center, essential things in a city of 200,000 inhabitants," they lament. The Can Bofí Vell hostel, which was closed by the Albiol government in 2024It was the epicenter of a series of altercations in late December, fueled by the mayor himself, as several expelled students from the former B9 high school wanted to take refuge there because they had no residential alternative.