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Badalona seeks urgent solutions for those evicted from B9 after three nights outdoors
The plight of those evicted from B9 remains unresolved. The Govern and social organisations are mobilising. The City Council refuses to reopen the municipal shelter. Rain and cold are making the situation worse. Find out how support is being organised and what the future may hold for them.
The humanitarian crisis in Badalona is worsening after the eviction of the former B9 institute, where around 400 migrants had been living. The Catalan Govern has offered to help the City Council set up a municipal shelter, but the lack of agreement has left dozens of people homeless, exposed to the elements and the cold.
This weekend, the organisation Cuineres per la Pau, known for its work supporting Gaza, has shifted its focus to those evicted from B9. They have started distributing hot, nutritious meals under the C-31 bridge, where many affected people have set up a makeshift camp after being forced out of the building.
Several social organisations, including Creu Roja, Càritas Diocesana de Barcelona, Sant Joan de Déu Serveis Socials and Fundació Llegat Roca i Pi, have agreed to take in 15 particularly vulnerable people for a month. The emergency operation is based at the Mare de Déu de Montserrat parish and is financially supported by the Conselleria de Derechos Sociales.
Some of those evicted have managed to sleep indoors after several nights outside, thanks to local organisations providing space. However, most are still sleeping on the street, while social organisations stress that this temporary solution must only be the first step towards a more structural response.
The Generalitat and social organisations have set up an overnight shelter in a space provided by the Church, open from 20:00 to 08:00, with support from the Flore day centre. Cáritas, Cruz Roja and other organisations are involved in running this resource.
The Govern's spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, has urged mayor Xavier García Albiol to reopen the Can Bofí Vell shelter, which the City Council says is closed due to structural problems. Paneque points out that the Generalitat needs municipal cooperation to act on this facility.
Meanwhile, those evicted have camped under the exit 210 of the C-31, after being prevented by the Guàrdia Urbana from setting up in front of the former institute. Mayor Albiol defends the eviction as a necessary step to recover the property and rejects accusations of institutional racism.
Rain and police presence have scattered the migrants, who are seeking shelter in doorways, squares and wastelands. The Sindicat d'Habitatge Socialista de Catalunya denounces police harassment and demands real solutions.
Social organisations continue to look for alternatives and emphasise that homelessness requires coordinated and structural responses. Since September, the Generalitat and municipal social services have been holding weekly meetings to address the situation of the most vulnerable people in Badalona.