2016-2020 Barcelona Plan for Fighting Homelessness
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2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
Homelessness
BC
NSocial Rights
2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
Homelessness
Edition
Area of Social Rights
Technical coordination and author
Albert Sales
Technical and research support
Cristina Sobrino
Editorial coordination
Area of Social Rights Department of Communication
The 2016-2020 Barcelona Plan for Fighting Homelessness was
approved in December 2016. It has the active support of all the or-
ganisations and institutions belonging to the Homeless People Care
Network (XAPSLL).
January 20172016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
Homelessness
Social Rights
2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
HomelessnessCONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION 8
1.1. Regulatory Framework 9
1.2. Strategic planning for tackling homelessness 10
1.3. From care for homeless people to fighting homelessness 12
1.4. Fighting homelessness from a gender perspective 17
2. METHOD OF PREPARATION 24
3. DIAGNOSIS 25
3.1. Housing exclusion and homelessness in Barcelona 25
3.2. Care for homeless people in Barcelona 32
4. ACTION PLAN 33
Social Rights
AREA 1. Recognising the rights of and protecting people living
2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting on the streets 33
Homelessness
Goal 1.1. To ensure the safety of people living on the streets 33
Goal 1.2. To ensure homeless people’s basic needs are covered 33
Goal 1.3. To realise the political rights of homeless people 35
Goal 1.4. To promote homeless people’s access to culture and recreation 35
Goal 1.5. To give people without a roof or home access to transport 36
AREA 2. Preventing homelessness in de-institutionalisation
processes 36
Goal 2.1. To prevent young people formerly in DGAIA foster care from
ending up on the streets 36
Goal 2.2. To prevent coming out of prison from becoming a factor
in homelessness 36
Goal 2.3. To prevent the custody that authorities put immigrants
under from becoming a factor in homelessness 37
Goal 2.4. To prevent people who are discharged from hospital from
ending up on the streets 37
AREA 3. Health and access to health-care systems 37
Goal 3.1. To ensure homeless people have access to the health service 37
Goal 3.2. To ensure access to suitable mental health care 38AREA 4. Reducing the number of people falling into several housing
exclusion situations (preventive policies) and minimising the time
people spend living on the streets (preventing long-term homelessness) 38
Goal 4.1. To eradicate long-term homelessness and reduce the time
homeless people spend living on the streets 38
Goal 4.2. To reduce the possibility of relapses among people who
leave situations of homelessness 40
Goal 4.3. To detect risk-of-homelessness situations at an early stage 41
AREA 5. Accommodation and housing-access model 41
Goal 5.1. To adapt the service portfolio to people’s needs (to improve
their quality of life and prevent their exclusion) 41
Goal 5.2. To improve living conditions in homeless people’s facilities Social Rights
and prevent them overcrowding 42 2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
AREA 6. Reducing the risk of homelessness linked to administrative Homelessness
exclusion among immigrants 42
Goal 6.1. To coordinate the efforts of social organisations and the
municipal authorities so that no one is excluded from social care
because of their origins or nationality 42
Goal 6.2. To create specific itineraries for regularising homeless
people in an irregular administrative situation 42
AREA 7. Generating knowledge to improve policies and transform
the social perception of homelessness 43
Goal 7.1. To incorporate a gender perspective into the planned
alterations at collective residential facilities 43
Goal 7.2. To ensure there is a gender perspective in drawing up
violence prevention protocols 44
AREA 8. Generating knowledge to improve policies and transform
the social perception of homelessness 44
Goal 8.1. To combat the social stigma of people without a roof
or a home 44
Goal 8.2. To broaden the XAPSLL’s knowledge of all forms of
homelessness that affect people in the city 44CONTENTS
AREA 9. Co-responsibility and networking 45
Goal 9.1. To enable the XAPSLL organisations to get to know each
other and the resources the city offers homeless people 45
Goal 9.2. To establish discussion and advocacy mechanisms
between the XAPSLL and other public authorities 46
Goal 9.3. To establish coordination and joint-working mechanisms
with the Inclusive Housing Network 46
5. MUNICIPAL COMMITMENTS AND ECONOMIC RESOURCES 47
5.1. Planned investments for 2016-2019 47
5.2. Forecast growth of the Municipal Care Programme for
Homeless People 48
Social Rights
5.3. Research and knowledge 51
2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
HomelessnessSocial Rights 2016-2020 Barcelona Plan for Fighting Homelessness
1.
INTRODUCTION
The Municipal Action Programme tion of those services towards build-
(PAM) for 2016-2019 establishes a ing personal inclusive itineraries and
series of goals directly relating to the consolidating their collaboration
fight against homelessness. Notable with specialist civil society organisa-
among them are the PAM’s declared tions, based on the joint creation of
aim of tackling housing exclusion the Homeless People Care Network
among the most vulnerable groups, (XAPSLL2).
ensuring the entire population’s basic
living needs are covered and coordi- The network, which comprises thir-
nating basic social services for com- ty-two of the city’s social action
prehensive care, giving priority to per- organisations and the City Council
sonal autonomy. itself, was founded principally to
strengthen the city’s capacity for
As many as 28 citizen proposals for action and to accompany homeless
8
improving care for homeless people people through the process of re-
came out of the participatory pro- covering full personal autonomy and
Social Rights
cess for drawing up the PAM and as re-establishing their interpersonal
2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
many as 1,069 people took part in the and social ties.
Homelessness various deliberative activities aimed
at guiding municipal policies on the The XAPSLL’s work has served to es-
fight against homelessness. The pro- tablish the foundations of a common
posals are grouped under a specific strategy between the great majority
initiative which involves driving an of social players attending to home-
action plan against homelessness less people in the city. The present
that reviews the actions being car- Plan aims to formulate a city strate-
ried out by the local authority and the gy where all the players feel they are
city’s social organisations1. participants and central figures.
Public interest in the situation of So those people directly affected by
people worst affected by housing ex- the harshest forms of homelessness
clusion has a long history behind it in were involved in the process of draft-
Barcelona. And with the approval of ing, discussing and debating it and
the 2005-2010 Municipal Plan for So- contributing their knowledge and
cial Inclusion, the signing of the Citi- experience. In April 2016 a working
zen Agreement for an Inclusive Bar- group was set up by the Municipal
celona and the subsequent approval Social Welfare Council, made up of
of the Municipal Care Programme people who have been or are users of
for Homeless People, Barcelona City Barcelona’s care facilities for home-
Council took on the challenge and less people. This group has held five
committed itself to expanding re- working sessions on the Plan.
sources and services for homeless
people, strengthening the orienta-
1 decidim.barcelona/pam
2 The XAPSLL's member organisations (November 2016) are as follows: ABD; ACCEM; Amics del Moviment Quart Món
Catalunya; Arrels Fundació; Asociación de Alternativas, Motivación y Acompañamiento ADAMA; Associació Dit i Fet; Associació
per la Recerca i l’Acció Social Vincle; Associació per la reeducació i la reinserció social Lligam; Associació Prohabitatge;
Associació Rauxa; Associació Social Yava Luisa; Caliu - Espai d’acolliment; Càritas Diocesana de Barcelona; Centre d’Acollida
Assís; Centre Obert l’Heura; Companyia de les Filles de la Caritat de Sant Vicenç de Paül; Comunitat de Sant Egidi; Congregació
Serves de la Passió - Llar Santa Isabel i Residència Maria Teresa; Cooperativa Suara; Creu Roja a Barcelona; Filles Caritat
Fundació Social; Fundació Engrunes; Fundació Iniciatives Solidàries; Fundació IReS; Fundació Mambré; Fundació Maria
Raventós; Fundació Quatre Vents; Fundació Salut i Comunitat; Grup ATRA; Parròquia Sant Miquel del Port - Projecte Sostre;
Progess; Sant Joan de Déu - Serveis socials; Barcelona City Council.1.1.
Regulatory Framework
The right to housing and tools for crowded housing properties. It also
ensuring it, or for attending to indi- establishes that the collectives re-
viduals and families who are exclud- quiring special attention are home-
ed, features in regulatory texts at all less people, women affected by and
government levels. threatened with male violence, peo-
ple with drug addictions, people with
The Statute of Autonomy of Cata- mental health problems, people re-
lonia establishes under Article 26 ceiving very low benefits, young peo-
that public authorities have to put ple formerly in foster care and oth-
into practice a system of measures ers in similar situations who need
through legislation that ensures special care, protection or specialist
access to decent housing. It is Act support.
18/2007, of 28 December, which reg-
ulates everyone's access to decent Where individuals or families are
9
and suitable housing during the homeless, Act 12/2007, of 11 Octo-
various stages of their life. This Act ber, on social services, states that
Social Rights
provides for the creation of flats ear- the guarantee for meeting people’s
marked for social policies and meas- basic needs for subsistence and 2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
ures to promote access to them by quality of life lies in a series of ac- Homelessness
vulnerable groups. tions we call social services.
It defines as “homeless” a person or Public transfers for dealing with con-
household with a manifest lack of tingencies that can occur through-
decent, suitable housing, because out life are regulated by Act 13/2006,
they have no home, live on the streets of 27 July, on cash benefits. The text
or in a place unsuitable for housing stipulates that, where people en-
according to the Act’s provisions, and counter problems that prevent them
they suffer effective social exclusion from meeting essential expenses
caused by social barriers or person- for sustaining themselves or the in-
al difficulties in living independent- dividuals making up their family or
ly. Also falling under the definition household, the purpose of emergen-
of “homeless” are people who have cy social benefits shall be to meet
been subject to an eviction process basic needs such as food, clothing
resulting from a duly established im- and accommodation.
possibility of meeting their rent.
Decree 75/2014, of 27 May, on the
Right to Housing Plan, defines social
integration housing and stipulates
that it is to be allocated to people
with integration problems and to
tenants of substandard and over-1.2.
Strategic planning for
tackling homelessness
The evident increase in the number Furthermore, with the signing of the
of people compelled to sleep on the Pact of Amsterdam in 2016, the EU
streets in European cities over the has launched a process for drawing
last three decades bears testimo- up a European Urban Agenda. The
ny to the scope and growth of social first four issues to be tackled include
vulnerability and the harsh conse- urban poverty and housing.4
quences of the incapacity to realise a
right to housing set out in a large part Confirmation of the housing emer-
of the constitutional texts of Europe- gency currently seen in many big
an states. The social emergency that European cities has aroused the in-
people who spend their nights on the terest of European institutions in
streets find themselves in, and the policies to contain and prevent the
visibility that gives them, has put the loss of housing and reduce home-
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need to implement specific strate- lessness. The European Parliament
gies to combat the toughest forms approved a resolution5 on 16 January
of housing exclusion on the political 2014 calling on the Commission to
Social Rights
agenda. draw up an EU homelessness strate-
2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
gy (reiterating what had already been
Homelessness European institutional policies stated in the European Parliament
for tackling homelessness are en- resolution of 14 September 2011).
shrined in the 2020 Strategy for The resolution also encourages
fighting poverty and are accounta- member states to design their own
ble to the European Commission Di- strategies and reminds them of their
rectorate-General for Employment responsibility to implement policies
and Social Affairs. The Europe 2020 that fight homelessness and provide
Strategy commits the EU to reduc- care for homeless people.
ing the number of people below the
poverty line in member states by 20 Domestic and state-level strategies
million. The European Commission’s began to emerge in the 1990s. The
Social Investment Package3 calls on high number of people sleeping on
member states to combat housing city centre streets in the UK has led
exclusion through strategies based the different levels of government to
on prevention, by revising the regu- implement plans and programmes
latory frameworks behind evictions for purposes of coordinating and
and removals, and by applying hous- bringing coherence to the various
ing-led strategies to homeless peo- initiatives that have been imple-
ple. Europe thereby assumes that the mented since the 1980s to tackle
cornerstone for coordinating care for the situation of homeless people.
homeless people rests on providing Taking their inspiration from North
housing. American intervention programmes,
3 easpd.eu
4 urbanaqendaforthe.eu
5 European Parliament resolution of 16 January 2014 on an EU homelessness strategy
(2013/2994 [RSP]).supra-municipal plans in the UK are social support and monitoring have
driving agendas and shared goals gradually expanded the portfolio of
between the various social players social accommodation resources in
and promoting public-private part- Europe’s big cities since the 1980s.
nerships in providing specialist so-
cial services. In the case of Spain, the 2015-2020
Comprehensive Domestic Strate-
By contrast, Sweden’s strategy is gy for Homeless People (ENI-PSH),
to set structural goals, such as re- which was approved under a resolu-
ducing the number of evictions and tion adopted by the Council of Minis-
launching preventive initiatives ters on 6 November 2015, is the first
aimed at protecting families at risk and only official framework model
of poverty from losing their home. It that local and regional authorities
also sets out precisely the initiatives may invoke in designing care poli-
11
that have to be implemented by local cies for homeless people. By means
authorities to cover people's basic of the ENI-PSH the central govern-
Social Rights
needs, including emergency accom- ment proposes a basic institutional
modation. architecture for responding to the 2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
situations faced by homeless people Homelessness
Finland, a model country thanks to which rests on local authorities and
its success in reducing the number the Public Social Services System.
of homeless people over the last two The strategy is centred on care for
decades, has focused its strategy on people without a roof or home.6
creating an extensive stock of social
housing through cooperation be-
tween the various levels of authority
and the involvement of private and
third-sector players.
In most European countries, howev-
er, care policies for homeless people
have been implemented by local gov-
ernments with hardly any supra-mu-
nicipal coordination. They have
gradually created ad hoc housing
solutions and services to deal with
the lack of access to housing that in-
dividuals and collectives in structur-
al exclusion situations face. Hostels,
residences and shared flats with
6 ETHOS Categories 1 to 7: 1. People living out in the open; 2. People spending the night in hostels for homeless people;
3. People living in facilities for homeless people; 4. People living in women’s shelters; 5. People living in residential facilities for
immigrants; 6. People in the process of leaving institutions; 7. People receiving long-term support (for having been homeless).1.3.
From care for homeless
people to fighting
homelessness
Homeless people have traditional- exclusively to a person and their fam-
ly been regarded as a collective with ily; from the social perspective, having
distinctive features (mental illness, a private space for enjoying social re-
alcoholism, drug addiction, unadapt- lations; and from a legal perspective,
ed lifestyle) and classed under a cat- having a title of ownership or a lease.
egory that was very close to social de-
viation. Referring to the situation as Depending on the habitability condi-
(homelessness) instead of speaking tions the space a person is living in
about homeless people strengthens has, the social and private life it al-
the view that action by the author- lows and the legal system for using
ities and institutions is not aimed at the accommodation, four situations
groups or collectives but focused on or categories are defined:
combating a situation that violates
12 people’s right to housing and assumes • Without a roof: where the person
that what homeless people have in has no physical place to live in.
Social Rights common is living in a situation of se-
2016-2020 Barcelona
vere housing exclusion. • Without a home: where a person has
Plan for Fighting
Homelessness a physical place, although it does
Homelessness is identified as one not meet the necessary conditions
of the most extreme forms in which of privacy to be considered a proper
poverty manifests itself in our cities, space and which the occupant has
and homeless people, who spend 24 not legal title to. A person without a
hours a day in public spaces, are the roof or home is defined as someone
most visible, though not the only part who spends the night in public fa-
of homelessness. Housing exclusion cilities or social institutions.
appears on several levels of severity
depending on the relationship people • Insecure housing: where a person
have with the space at their disposal has a physical place they can live
for their personal lives. Whoever lives their private life in but they have no
in a residential centre run by institu- legal permission to use the accom-
tions or municipal authorities, in a modation.
shelter or in a space unfit for living in, • Unsuitable housing: where a person
has a roof but not a home. lives in a space that does not meet
suitable conditions for habitabil-
For the purposes of analysing hous- ity. They therefore have a physical
ing exclusion, FEANTSA (the European place for living their private life in,
Federation of National Organisations with legal permission for or title to
Working with Homeless People) pro- using it, but with the discomforts
poses a classification of housing dep- that arise from its deterioration.
rivation situations that allows various
levels of exclusion to be identified and These four categories have been
breaks with the classic distinction made operational by identifying thir-
between the majority in society with teen specific situations that cover all
a roof over their heads and people forms of depriving people of a right
who spend the night on the streets or to decent housing. It is worth pre-
in hostels for homeless people. This senting the conceptualisation of the
classification, called ETHOS (Euro- various typologies established within
pean Typology of Homelessness and the FEANTSA framework, given that
Housing Exclusion) suggests there are it is the classification which is being
three ways of viewing housing access: adopted around Europe by institu-
from the physical perspective, having tions and public authorities for tack-
a suitable space available belonging ling the problem of housing exclusion.Table 1. ETHOS classification
Situation Conceptual category Operative category. Type of accommodation
Homeless Without a roof 1. People living out in the open 1.1. Public or open space.
2. People spending the night in 2.1. Night shelter.
hostels for homeless people.
Without a home 3. People living in 3.1. Shelters and hostels for
facilities for homeless people.
homeless people. 3.2. Limited-stay centres.
3.3. Accommodation with support for
times of transition.
4. People living in shelters 4.1. Shelters for women.
for women.
13
5. People living in 5 .1. Temporary accommodation
residential facilities shelters. Social Rights
for immigrants. 5.2. Accommodation for
immigrant workers. 2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
Homelessness
6. People in the process of 6.1. Prisons.
leaving institutions. 6.2. Medical treatment institutions
6.3. Shelters for children and young people.
Exclusion Insecure housing 7. People receiving long-term 7.1. Residences for elderly people
from housing support (for having been who have been homeless.
homeless). 7.2. Residential centres with support for
people who have been homeless.
8. People living in 8 .1. With friends or family.
an insecure home. 8.2. Subletting.
8.3. Squatting.
9. People living under 9.1. In the process of eviction.
the threat of eviction for failing to pay rent.
9.2. In the process of foreclosure.
10. People living 10.1. Households with a history of
under threat of violence. domestic violence or complaints
reported to the police.
Exclusion Unsuitable housing 11. People living in 11.1. Mobile homes, caravans.
from housing “unconventional” and 11.2. “Unconventional” building.
temporary structures 11.3. Temporary structures.
12. People living in 12.1. Housing unsuitable
unhealthy housing. for everyday life.
13. People living in 13.1. Housing occupied to the point
overcrowded conditions. of overcrowded conditions.
Source: FEANTSAThe seriousness of the situations Towards a people-centred model for
faced by homeless people sleeping fighting homelessness
on the streets and the increase in this
reality in most European cities over If a person is to rebuild their life fol-
the last three decades have led mu- lowing the impact of having lost
nicipal authorities to create special- everything and despite having lived
ist measures within the framework on the streets, they will need finan-
of social services and civil society or cial, housing and emotional stabili-
to encourage organisations to tackle ty. Hence the good results of policies
these problems. During the decades aimed at providing stable housing as a
of expansion of welfare states and first step in the social accompaniment
subsequently, up to the 1990s, so- process. Policies which, usually under
cial services tackled the problem of the label of “housing first”, abandon
14
homelessness by putting the focus the idea that independent housing is
on its manifestation on the streets, the culmination of an inclusive pro-
by creating residential resources cess monitored and supervised by
Social Rights
and designing social accompaniment professionals.
2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
and treatment programmes which, in
Homelessness many cases, emulated the way the The learning that comes from running
health-care system worked. From the housing-first projects is realised in
perspective that homeless people what we can call housing-led policies,
had cut their ties with social protec- which guide the professional praxis
tion mechanisms in general and so- of social services and institutions to-
cial services in particular, emergency wards reconstructing homes in their
shelter in hostels was regarded as a broadest sense. People's empower-
good time for establishing links with ment is sought through living and res-
social services, developing the rela- idential stability and having spaces
tionship with users by covering their available for rebuilding emotional and
most basic needs. social ties. Social intervention meth-
ods have to be transformed by limiting
Barcelona City Council and the Home- the exercise of control functions and
less People Care Network have been focusing professionals on the tasks of
working to break away from the clas- accompanying and respecting the de-
sic approach to care for homeless cisions and independence of the per-
people for nearly a decade now. This son they are helping.
approach to housing exclusion as a
continuum of precarious and inac- This respect must also apply to
cessible housing situations compels first-contact work or the relationship
us to question the traditional view of of the authority and welfare institu-
homelessness as a social pathology, tions with people living on the streets.
and suggest the common denomina- From the rights perspective too, the
tor between people afflicted by it is right to the city must be guaranteed
the fact they do not have a home. As for people who prefer sleeping out in
a consequence, if the aim is to com- the open to the alternatives offered
bat the situation of nearly a thou- them in their homeless everyday
sand people sleeping on the streets lives. This guarantee takes the form
of Barcelona on any given night, poli- of fighting against policies of evicting
cies will have to be designed which at and displacing homeless people, in
least consider the problems that are an effective access to sanitary facili-
described by the ETHOS categories. ties and drinking water, and in keeping
the door open to care circuits directly,
without delay or dissuasive measures.Empowerment through respect Technical and academic literature
must also be achieved by actively on preventing housing exclusion dis-
listening to the people who have al- tinguishes three levels:7
ways been considered the object of
policies. Driving measures for exer- 1. Primary prevention, which in-
cising political rights, establishing cludes initiatives aimed at fight-
mechanisms for complaining about ing the structural causes to hous-
and reporting abuses and violations ing precariousness and reducing
of rights, creating participatory and the risk of homelessness among
co-decision spaces in institutions the population affected by impov-
and coordinating direct participatory erishment and social exclusion
spaces for people affected in design- processes.
ing municipal policies.
2. Secondary prevention, involving
initiatives aimed at individuals or 15
Towards structural prevention
households at immediate risk of
losing their homes. Social Rights
Like practically all big European cit-
ies, Barcelona has seen twenty years 3. Tertiary prevention, grouping to- 2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
of steady growth in the resources gether initiatives aimed at cre- Homelessness
earmarked for providing care for ating mechanisms for providing
homeless people. Increased num- homeless people with access to
bers of places in facilities, a broader stable housing and preventing
range of public and private services them from relapsing into home-
and innovations in social intervention lessness.
methods have paralleled the growth
in housing exclusion and the num- Of all the many factors that interact
ber of people who find themselves to define people’s risk of suffering
with no choice but to sleep on the from severe housing exclusion, it is
streets. Caring for homeless people the structural factors that have be-
and establishing policies that enable come key to explaining the rise in
drastic reductions in the numbers the number of people without a roof
of people living on the streets is an or home in European cities. Labour
unavoidable political commitment in and housing markets systematically
fighting inequalities and poverty in and permanently exclude part of the
our city. However, policies focused on population in big urban centres. The
reversing the effects of housing ex- economy of global cities is subject
clusion have to be accompanied by to financialisation processes that
preventive policies that stop people exceed the capacity of municipali-
from ending up homeless. ties, supra-municipal organisations
and states to act. The city's attrac-
tion to high-income tourists and pro-
fessionals is causing a rise in rental
prices. Meanwhile, salaries are fall-
ing, jobs in the tourist industry are
following their course towards job
insecurity and long-term unemploy-
ment is growing.
7 Shinn, M., Baumohl, J. & Hopper, K. (2001). The Prevention of Homelessness Revisited.
Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 1(1), 95-127.Big cities such as Barcelona are every residential resource, or prior-
the final destiny of migratory flows itising accommodation policies that
caused by the destruction of mil- provide stable access to housing
lions of people's habitats around the (housing-first and housing-led poli-
world. A combination of cross-border cies), would be some of the tertiary
movements and increasingly restric- prevention policies that are being
tive migratory policies is condemn- implemented in Europe's big cities.
ing a growing proportion of these Secondary prevention policies have
cities’ residents to administrative received a considerable impetus
exclusion. An administrative exclu- from the recent mortgage crisis. The
sion that poses a serious obstacle pressure of evictions and removals
to housing or maintaining a certain on cities has compelled organisa-
housing stability. tions and local authorities to con-
16
siderably expand rapid rehousing to
The actions traditionally taken by or- households affected and emergency
ganisations or specialist municipal grants to pay for housing. Such initi-
Social Rights
services come under direct care for atives are aimed at preventing peo-
2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
people in housing exclusion situations ple who have lost their homes from
Homelessness or in tertiary prevention areas, where- having to spend a single night on the
as primary and secondary prevention streets. They are usually far removed
policies, where they exist, fall under from the area of action of organisa-
the jurisdiction of other local author- tions caring for homeless people and
ity sectors or supra-municipal areas. from specialist services. Blocking
the exclusion paths that lead to the
Reflection on the chronification streets is usually a function of basic
of the most extreme situations of social services or part of the general
homelessness and the relapses of support strategies of social organi-
people attended to has, over the last sations in situations of poverty.
two decades, led care services to
consider tertiary prevention strat- Dealing with the structural factors
egies and look for more successful causing the various types of home-
social-care methods when it comes lessness falls under supra-municipal
to ensuring people who have lived on jurisdiction or at least requires a con-
the streets achieve financial, hous- siderable effort in coordination be-
ing and emotional stability. Improv- tween several levels of public action.
ing cooperation between the various An increase in the stock of social rent-
levels of intervention (street, area al housing, an income-guarantee sys-
social services and centres), coor- tem that drastically reduced severe
dinating a portfolio of services that poverty and the growth of inequali-
puts people at the centre and brings ties between the poorest members
about a constant change in models of the population and risk threshold
and an endless itinerary for each and for exclusion, as well as a change of1.4.
Fighting homelessness from a
gender perspective
direction in migratory policies, would Women are over-represented among
significantly reduce the pressure on the planet’s poorest people.8 When
resources for homeless people. A goal it comes to poverty in Barcelona
we could also reach through inter-ad- and Catalonia, women are much
ministrative coordination in de-in- more vulnerable than men.9,10,11 But
stitutionalisation processes, which despite this female side to poverty,
ensured that hospitalisation or incar- homelessness is regarded as a prob-
ceration would not become a prelimi- lem that mostly affects men. A lim-
nary step towards homelessness, and ited perspective of the phenomenon
by establishing risk detection and would beg the question: how can it
anticipation strategies in social and be, given the feminisation of pover-
health-care services. ty in our city, that only 9% to 11% of
the homeless people sleeping on the
Barcelona’s strategy for fighting streets in Barcelona are women?12
17
homelessness is based on the city’s
existing structures and knowledge But homelessness has many faces,
Social Rights
in caring for people without a roof or and while the most visible ones are
home, though it also aims to go be- mostly male, it is not true that it is 2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
yond the care perspective by incorpo- a social problem that does not af- Homelessness
rating primary- and secondary-pre- fect women. Female homelessness
vention strategies and coordinating is less visible because it is mani-
the efforts of the local authority and fested off the streets. Women are
social entities with supra-municipal the central figures in private types
authorities to establish structural of housing exclusion, the home-
prevention initiatives. A desirable lessness behind closed doors, sit-
goal would be a social protection uations of housing precariousness
system that had an effect on the that do not occur on the streets but
structural causes, where there were which limit their capacity to devel-
transition mechanisms following op an independent life project and
situations of institutionalisation to the possibilities of leaving situa-
ensure no one was left helpless and tions of extreme poverty.
homeless, and where, when the gen-
eral protection mechanisms failed, The housing exclusion processes
care policies for the people affected that lead to homelessness oper-
would be activated and give priority ate differently between women and
to maintaining their independence men. Despite the worrying lack of of-
and relationship networks. ficial data on female homelessness
in the EU (womenshomlessness.org),
research carried out in several
countries and cities allow us to
note several causes of the lower
proportion of women sleeping on
8 UN, Economic and Social Council, “Examination and evaluation of the application of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for
Action and the results of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly. Secretary-General's report”.
9 Belzunegui and Valls (2014) show in their report La pobreza en España desde una perspectiva de género how the convergence
of the rate of risk of poverty between men and women seen in Spain over the last few years of crisis is due to the worsening
of the financial situation of families and does not consider intra-family distribution of resources. Using methods that
approach the risk of poverty under the supposition of personal independence, the authors conclude that the rate of risk of
poverty is insensitive to inequalities between men and women and that women continue to suffer poverty more intensely and
more often .
10 Belzunegui, A. (2012). Socialización de la pobreza en España. Barcelona: lcaria.
11 Sarasa, S. & Sales, A. (2009). Itineraris i factors d’exclusió social. Barcelona: Barcelona City Council. Barcelona
Ombudsman. Recovered from, 20(04), 2015.
12 Sales, Albert; Uribe, Joan; Marco, Inés (2015) Diagnosi 2015. La situació del sensellarisme a Barcelona: evolució i polítiques
d’intervenció. Barcelona Homeless People Care Network.the streets around Europe and alert psychological disturbances that
us to the invisibility of female resi- more often cause a break with fami-
dential exclusion. ly and social networks.17
Research carried out in Ireland,13 While resorting to friends, family
the United States and England14 or acquaintances may be a protec-
reached the same conclusion that tive factor for women against the
women ask for help from social ser- most extreme forms of housing ex-
vices to deal with housing problems clusion, it is the informal relation-
only where friend and family support ship networks themselves that put
networks fail. In the case of women women, when they are unable to
with children in their care, the re- access housing, in exploitative and
fusal to accept monitoring by social precarious situations that also rep-
18
services and the fear of losing their resent types of homelessness, with
decision-making powers with regard an impact on their well-being and
to their children, and custody over structure of opportunities when it
Social Rights
them, explain why they seek infor- comes to building a decent-life pro-
2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
mal solutions first and foremost. ject.18 Situations that are difficult to
Homelessness As for women on their own, strong- quantify or detect, such as living in
er personal relationships than men over-crowded flats, confiding in the
have, and the consequent capacity good will of whoever provides them
for mobilising their own social capi- with accommodation, living in sublet
tal, help to prevent them from ending housing without legal security or any
up living on the streets or in shelter capacity to demonstrate residency,
and hostel networks. Because of the or taking refuge in the house of fam-
gender roles historically assigned ily members who are also experienc-
to them, women maintain stronger ing situations of social vulnerability,
social links with their families and with the tensions that entails.
friends. The plurality of roles they
play in their everyday lives appears The classic orientation of policies
to give them a greater capacity for for caring for homeless people and
mobilising relational resources15 a blinkered perspective on the phe-
which, at times of extreme insecu- nomenon of homelessness have
rity, could protect them from ending limited the capacity for systematis-
up on the streets16 The identification ing data and providing knowledge
of men and their role, on the other of women’s housing exclusion pro-
hand, much more closely linked to cesses. The data collected every
the labour market and receiving an year in Barcelona by the XAPSLL re-
income. A break with or exclusion veal a strong over-representation of
from the labour market is more often men in the ETHOS categories that
related to a subjective perception of have traditionally been the target of
personal failure and emotional and intervention by organisations and
13 Mayock, P., Sheridan, S. & Parker, S. (2012). “Migrant women and homelessness: the role of
gender-based violence”. European Journal of Homelessness.
14 Passaro, J. (2014). The Unequal Homeless: Men on the Streets, Women in Their Place. Routledge.
15 Bourdieu, P. (2000). La dominación masculina. Anagrama.
16 Escudero Carretero, M. J. (2003). “Mujeres sin hogar en Granada. Un estudio etnográfico.” Colección
Feminae de la Editorial Universidad de Granada.
17 Sales, Albert; Uribe, Joan; Marco, Inés (2015) Diagnosi 2015. La situació del sensellarisme a
Barcelona: evolució i polítiques d’intervenció. Barcelona Homeless People Care Network.
18 Baptista, I. (2010) “Women and Homelessness”, in: E. O’Sullivan, V. Busch-Geertsema, D. Quilgars and N.
Pleace (Eds.) Homelessness Research in Europe (Brussels: FEANTSA).services specialising in care for the Female homelessness is a different
homeless. According to the XAPSLL, from male homelessness and its
around 11% of the people sleeping analysis is held back by difficulties
on the streets in 2015 were women. in collecting data on the housing
Women also represented 14% of all exclusion that is experienced away
the people who spent their nights in from the streets and social service
emergency hostels and centres. In intervention. Adopting a broad defi-
the case of housing facilities, col- nition of homelessness, such as the
lective facilities and centres offer- one FEANTSA proposes with the
ing more intense social monitoring, ETHOS categories, compels us to
20% of all residents were women. As design policies that have an effect
for inclusive flats and other shared on the reality of people living in over-
housing with professional support, crowded or unsuitable housing, un-
23% of residents were women. And der the threat of eviction, or on the
19
30% of the people living in sublet point of leaving a residential institu-
housing or pensions thanks to fund- tion or prison without any available
Social Rights
ing from an institution or social ser- housing outside. As a result, we are
vices were women. also compelled to adopt a preventive 2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
approach, often neglected by care Homelessness
Based on the definition of homeless- services for homeless people, and to
ness offered by the ETHOS classifi- pay attention to housing exclusion
cation, the XAPSLL data are very ac- processes with women at the centre.
curate in accounting for the people
in the categories closest to the situ-
ation of living on the streets though
they suffer from serious gaps when it
comes to approaching housing exclu-
sion situations that are not tradition-
ally considered in policies for caring
for homeless people. There is a lack
of data for the categories “Living in
temporary accommodation reserved
for immigrants and asylum-seekers”,
“Living in a residential or detention
institution with the aim of receiving
accommodation in a definite period
without a shelter available”, “Living
under threat of eviction”, “Living un-
der threat of violence from family or
partner”, “Living in housing that is not
suitable according to the legislation”
and “Living in overcrowded housing”.Table 2. Number of homeless people in Barcelona. ETHOS classification. 11 March, 2015
Operative category Total Number Number Number of minors under the
number of men of women age of 18 (boys and girls)
Without a roof 1. Living in a public space 693 89.03 % 10.97 % 0.00 %
or outdoors1.
2. Spending the night in a hostel 252 85.71 % 14.29 % 0.00 %
and/or forced to spend the rest
of the day in a public space.
Without a home 3. Living in hostels or centres 511 68.69 % 19.96 % 11.35 %
for homeless people.
Temporary shelters.
4. Living in shelters for women. 4 0.00 % 50.00 % 50.00 %
20 5. Living in temporary nd
accommodation reserved for
immigrants and asylum
Social Rights seekers.
2016-2020 Barcelona 6. Living in a residential nd
Plan for Fighting or detention institution
Homelessness with the aim of receiving
accommodation in a definite
period without a shelter
available.
7. Living in accommodation with 481 58.63 % 23.28 % 18.09 %
ongoing support for homeless
people.
Insecure housing 8. Living in housing under an 424 52.59 % 30.90 % 16.51 %
insecure tenancy system.
Without paying rent.
9. Living under threat of nd
eviction.
nd
10. Living under threat of violence
from family or partner.
Unsuitable housing 11. Living in temporary or 434 54.61 % 23.73 % 21.66 %
unconventional structures2.
12. Living in unsuitable housing nd
according to legislation.
13. Living in overcrowded housing. nd
TOTAL 2,799 68.81% 20.08% 11.11%
(1) Proportion of men, women and minors, according to contacts made by Barcelona City Council’s Social Integration Service during the month of March 2015.
(2) Proportion of men, women and minors, contacted in settlements by Barcelona City Council’s Social Integration Service in 2014.
Source: Sales et al. 2015Women and care policies for home- their home, they are hardly likely to
less people turn it into an intimate space.
By focusing on highly masculinised Research carried out in Sweden20
situations of homelessness, care also suggests that women avoid hos-
policies for homeless people have tels and emergency social housing
established a portfolio of services resources for homeless people be-
and intervention methods that are cause of the social stigma that links
better suited to needs linked to tra- living on the street to prostitution. In-
ditionally male, rather than female, terviews with women who have lived
lifestyles. The patterns of behaviour without a roof over their head in Bar-
of men and women living in hous- celona demonstrate this strong per-
ing exclusion situations and their ception of a link with prostitution.
relationship with emergency hous-
21
ing resources are determined by the The strategies for fighting home-
fact that such accommodation was lessness embarked on in pioneering
Social Rights
designed for male residents and are countries include researching the
mostly occupied by men. The sense neighbourhoods that expel wom- 2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
of fear and lack of intimacy that los- en from residential services and re- Homelessness
ing a home causes persists very in- sources for homeless people. The in-
tensely among women who have to visibility of homeless women on the
use these types of resources.19 streets and in specialist centres can-
not be a pretext for ignoring the dra-
Added to the material discomfort of mas that flow from female housing
residing in a male environment is the exclusion when designing policies.
double stigmatisation that homeless
women suffer from. First, the stigma Female homelessness and violence
of poverty experienced on the streets
itself, and second, the stigma of their Male violence and female home-
alleged abandonment of their role as lessness are closely connected, and
carer in the domestic environment. this can be seen especially when we
Eroding family ties to the point where examine situations on the streets.21
they are broken is experienced as Where this relationship has been
personal failure by homeless wom- studied, the results show that the
en and their circle. Such breaks are proportion of women who were living
prolonged and worsened when resi- on the streets and had experienced
dential facilities make it hard or im- situations of violence from their
possible to rebuild these ties. Failure partners was very high. In Sweden,
to maintain spaces of intimacy in everything would suggest that flee-
public or private housing resources ing physical assaults from partners
makes the prospect of re-establish- is the main cause for homelessness
ing family times more remote over among women. Work conducted in
time. When a homeless person is Barcelona reveals that the need to
unable to regard the care facility as break with known spaces and so-
19 Sales, Albert; Uribe, Joan; Marco, Inés (2015) Diagnosi 2015. La situació del sensellarisme a Barcelona: evolució i polítiques
d’intervenció. Barcelona Homeless People Care Network.
20 Busch-Geertsema, V., Edgar, W., O’Sullivan, E. & Pleace, N. (2010, December). “Homelessness and Homeless Policies in
Europe: Lessons from Research.”
21Baptista, I. (2010) “Women and Homelessness”, in: E. O’Sullivan, V. Busch-Geertsema, D. Quilgars and N. Pleace (Eds.)
Homelessness Research in Europe (Brussels: FEANTSA).cial networks in order to escape from Women residing in homeless care fa-
male violence weakens women’s ca- cilities also frequently mention hav-
pacity to resort to informal alterna- ing been victims of sexual harass-
tives for alleviating a temporary situ- ment and almost always assert they
ation of housing exclusion22. feel at risk26.
In the United Kingdom, a woman at Gender mainstreaming in fighting
risk of being a victim of gender vi- homelessness
olence is legally recognised as a
homeless person23. This recognition If we are to develop policies to fight
is key to gaining priority access to so- homelessness from a gender per-
cial housing, although recent studies spective, we shall have to consider
suggest that women migrants mar- the phenomenon in all its complex-
22
ried to UK citizens continue to feel ity and broaden our understanding
extremely vulnerable to situations of of the processes of social exclusion.
homelessness arising from gender Preventive initiatives that detect and
Social Rights
violence because of the risk of facing combat the housing exclusion suf-
2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
the loss of their residency permit and fered by people living in substandard
Homelessness a process of repatriation24. housing, overcrowded flats or sublet
rooms make homeless women visi-
Once women are living on the streets, ble, while also preventing the flow of
violence and sexual pressure con- more people into situations of living
tinue to be problems they perceive on the streets.
much more strongly than men. Fear
and a sense of insecurity seem to be When designing measures aimed at
determining factors for seeking alter- people who no longer have a home,
native strategies to sleeping in public an approach that is focused on indi-
spaces, and even accepting rejected viduals rather than portfolios of ser-
institutional support when the social vices will enable care to be provided
support networks had been effec- from a gender perspective and with
tive25. Women who have spent short greater quality and respect towards
periods living on the streets talk of people’s dignity. Implementing poli-
fairly frequent and intense situations cies to provide housing as a first step
of harassment. These women are at in the process of linking up with so-
the receiving end of extreme sexu- cial services has proved to be a more
al pressure, be it physical or verbal. effective strategy than one which
Women living on the streets often re- initiates intervention in hostels and
sort to group strategies to increase collective housing facilities. The
their sense of security, whether by Housing First programmes and the
grouping together with other women creation of small cohabitation units
or joining men’s groups. with a high component of self-man-
22 Sales, Albert; Uribe, Joan; Marco, Inés (2015) Diagnosi 2015. La situació del sensellarisme a Barcelona: evolució i polítiques
d’intervenció. Barcelona Homeless People Care Network.
23 Busch-Geertsema, V., Edgar, W., O’Sullivan, E. & Pleace, N. (2010, December). “Homelessness and Homeless Policies in
Europe: Lessons from Research.” In Conference on Homelessness (Vol. 9, p. 10).
24 Mayock, P., & Sheridan, S. (2012). “Women’s ‘Journeys’ to Homelessness: Key Findings from a Biographical Study of Homeless
Women in Ireland”. Women and Homelessness in Ireland, Research Paper, 1.
25 Escudero Carretero, M. J. (2003). “Mujeres sin hogar en Granada. Un estudio etnográfico.” Colección Feminae de la Editorial
Universidad de Granada.
26 Sales, Albert; Uribe, Joan; Marco, Inés (2015) Diagnosi 2015. La situació del sensellarisme a Barcelona: evolució i polítiques
d’intervenció. Barcelona Homeless People Care Network.agement present clear advantages
for women who have lost their homes
to rebuild their social links.
Feminist demands to “put lives and
people at the centre” can help us
not just to highlight the respective,
differing needs of men and women
but also to propose public action
that takes account of the complexi-
ty of the situation homeless people
experience and the multiple needs
of each person left without a home,
whether material (housing and food)
23
or emotional and psychological.
Social Rights
2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
Homelessness2.
METHOD OF PREPARATION
The process of drawing up the Plan XAPSLL member organisations de-
involved the following participatory, liberated, drew up proposals and
preparatory and consensus spaces: reached agreements. The process
was monitored by the Standing Com-
Discussion and debate open to the mittee and four working sessions
public and collection of proposals open to all the organisations were
from the PAM preparatory process. held in September and October 2016,
A city debate on homelessness was during which the proposals were de-
held on 30 March 2016, as part of the bated and formulated which were
PAM preparatory process. Sixty peo- afterwards ratified at the plenary
ple took part in it, including profes- meeting of 11 November 2016.
sionals and voluntary organisation
workers, people who had suffered or A working group was set up, com-
24
were suffering from homelessness posed of people who had been
and members of the public interest- through situations of homelessness,
ed in the problem. which has been discussing, debating
Social Rights
and putting forward proposals at the
2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
Deliberation on the part of municipal Municipal Council of Social Welfare
Homelessness teams: specific meetings and prepa- since April. Made up of 18 people,
ration of reports by each of the ser- this group held 6 working sessions
vices at the Department of Care for between April and November 2016.
Vulnerable People and the Depart-
ment of Social Intervention in Public 1st session, 28 April:
Spaces. The process began in May Introduction and welcome with the
2016 and ended in August. Thirteen Deputy Mayor for Social Rights.
municipal teams took part in it:
2nd session, 23 May:
Working session on residential facili-
Department of Social Intervention in Pub-
ties with municipal managers.
lic Spaces:
• SIS Detection 3rd session, 4 July:
• SIS Treatment Working session on housing policies
with municipal managers.
• SISFA - Rom
• OPAI 4th session, 14 September:
Internal group working session to
• Department of Care for Vulnera- formulate proposals.
ble People. Primary shelters (Zona
Franca, Sarrià, Nou Barris). 5th session, 4 October:
• Medium-stay centres (Meridiana, Internal group working session to
Hort de la Vila, Creu dels Molers, formulate proposals on street care
Horta, Sta. Lluïsa Marillach, Can teams and communication policies
Planes). for fighting stigmatisation.
• Day centres (Meridiana, Poble Sec, 6th session, 23 November:
Horta, Sta. Lluïsa Marillach). Discussion of the draft Plan.
• Sanitation Service, Inclusive Hous-
ing (team), Housing First programme
(team).
• Other relevant services given their
knowledge of the situation: Over-
night Emergency Care Centre
(CANE), Social Emergencies Centre
(CUESB) and Dispute Management
Service (SGC).3.
DIAGNOSIS
3.1.
Housing exclusion and
homelessness in Barcelona
The XAPSLL has been working since ries to monitor the trend in the num-
2008 to establish a data-collecting ber of people living on the streets,
system that enables the situation supplementing the data and knowl-
of homelessness in Barcelona to edge available to the SIS through its
be monitored, along with the initia- day-to-day detection and care work.
tives that organisations and the lo-
cal authority implement to attend to This diagnostic work has not just
people affected by severe housing been one of the XAPSLL’s key pro-
exclusion. In 2008, the XAPSLL’s or- jects for joint policy production and
ganisations and the City Council car- coordination, it has also enabled
ried out their first count of the num- Barcelona to have fairly full data on
ber of people sleeping on the streets the development of the problem at
and in accommodation intended for its disposal and to create spaces for
providing care for homeless people. sharing information and knowledge 25
Basic social and demographic indi- among all the players committed to
cators were gathered and brief sur- providing care for homeless people.
Social Rights
veys conducted on a sample of the The state of the situation presented
people contacted on the streets. A in the following paragraphs com- 2016-2020 Barcelona
Plan for Fighting
total of 700 volunteers helped to pletes the reports published by the Homelessness
provide a preliminary reading of the XAPSLL with the results of the 2016
situation of homelessness in the city, count and other data provided by
carried out during a single night to several municipal services.
avoid duplications in the count.
Increased pressure on housing re-
A second count was done in 2011, in sources intended for homeless people
which 750 volunteers took part. Once
again, this involved getting the num- The number of people in Barcelona
ber of people who spent the night on sleeping in specialist housing re-
the city’s streets and in specialist sources belonging to social organi-
facilities during a single night. This sations and the local authority grew
count was the starting point for suc- by 60% between 2008 and 2016,
cessive diagnostic reports on home- from 1,190 people provided with ac-
lessness in 2013 and 2015, when the commodation in various types of re-
XASPLL continued to systematically sources on 11 March 2008 to 1,907
collect the number, and social and on 18 May 2016. At the same time,
demographic profiles, of people ac- the counts done in the city and the
commodated in various resources on data from the City Council’s Social
one night, replacing citizen counts Integration Service suggest a growth
with estimates based on data from in the number of people sleeping on
Barcelona City Council’s Social Inte- the streets. While the first exhaus-
gration Service (SIS). tive count carried out on 11 March
2008 recorded 658 people spending
XAPSLL organisations and the City the night in public spaces, the sec-
Council made a further one-night ond on 18 May 2016 recorded a fig-
count on 18 May 2016, with the inten- ure of 941. That would represent an
tion of guaranteeing a four-year se- increase of 37% in 8 years27.
27 Data from 2011 taken from Sales et al. (2015); data from 2016 provided by the Barcelona Homeless People Care Network
based on the count carried out on 18 May.You can also read
