In the last decade, homelessness has been a growing concern in Spain, with an increase of 24.5% nationwide. However, there is one notable exception: in Catalonia, the number of homeless people has decreased by 52.5% in ten years, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). This positive trend is not limited to the decrease in the number of people experiencing homelessness, but is also observed in a decrease in all age groups and in both sexes.
However, despite this good news, homelessness continues to be a problem in Catalonia and in the city of Barcelona in particular. In the case of Barcelona, according to data provided by the report of the Network for the Attention of Homeless People (XAPSLL) "Diagnosi 2022. La situació del sensellarisme a Barcelona. Evolució i relació amb el mercat laboral", there are currently about 4,200 people in a situation of homelessness. Despite these data, while in some Spanish cities there has been a significant increase in the number of homeless people sleeping rough, in Barcelona there was a decrease from 2018 to 2021, when there were an estimated 895.
The reduction in the number of homeless people living on the streets of Barcelona is the result of the joint work of the administration and various organizations. But it may also have been influenced by the change of perspective towards a housing-based approach, which has become a priority policy of the Barcelona City Council: four out of every ten places for homeless people in the city are in housing, according to the report.
The housing-based approach in Barcelona
The housing-based approach is a strategy that addresses homelessness by first providing people experiencing homelessness with housing and then addressing other issues, such as substance abuse, health problems (physical or mental) or inclusion in the labor market. The focus is on the basic need for decent and stable housing, which provides a platform for improving quality of life and addressing other problems.
The Barcelona City Council has adopted this approach and has promoted specific housing programs for homeless people. Currently, according to the XAPSLL's latest homelessness analysis report, some 1,221 of the 2,803 places for homeless people in the city are in housing. By way of comparison: nationally, 34.4% of the places are in housing, while in Barcelona they represent 43.5%, i.e. 9 points more than the national average.
These programs aim to provide quality affordable housing and support services to homeless people and their families. The municipality also works with social organizations to provide temporary housing for homeless people and to offer support services, such as medical care and legal advice. In addition, efforts are being made to help homeless people find work and be included in society.
Necessary improvements in the situation of homeless people in Catalonia
Despite the decrease in homelessness in Catalonia, the community still presents problems of chronification of the problem, with 70.9% of people in a situation of homelessness who have been in this situation for more than a year. Moreover, there is a clear link between the housing problem in the region and homelessness, which makes people extremely vulnerable to residential exclusion in the event of a loss of economic livelihood: 32% of people in Catalonia indicate that eviction was one of the reasons they became homeless (while in Spain as a whole, 15.8% indicate this reason). In this sense, the need to address the problem of homelessness not only from a housing approach, but also from an income and employment approach, is evident. It would be important to implement labor inclusion and social protection policies for people in vulnerable situations, with the objective of guaranteeing their economic stability and, therefore, their access to decent housing. However, these policies will continue to be limited by regulations that go beyond the scope of homelessness. As the XAPSLL points out in its diagnosis of homelessness, there are certain limitations to solving the problem such as "the regulations of the labor and housing markets, with the limited coverage of Social Security benefits and with policies on foreigners. These areas are far from the municipal decision-making sphere, but they have a direct impact on the living conditions of the lower income population".
The decline in homelessness in Catalonia is an example of how a housing-based approach can be effective in the fight against homelessness. The Ajuntament de Barcelona is leading the way in this approach, making great efforts to increase the stock of affordable housing (a fundamental aspect for this approach to be sustainable over time), and other municipalities can learn from its experience and apply it in their communities. Providing affordable and quality housing to homeless people not only improves their quality of life, but also guarantees a fundamental human right for personal development.
Felipe Torrealba, Housing Rights Advocacy technician.
