Badalona seeks urgent solutions for the B9 evictees after three nights sleeping rough

The humanitarian crisis in Badalona is intensifying after the eviction of the former B9 secondary school, where around 400 migrants lived. The Catalan Government has offered to help the City Council set up a municipal shelter, but the lack of agreement is leaving 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 and turned its efforts to those evicted from B9. It has begun distributing hot, nutritious meals beneath the C-31 bridge, where many of those affected have improvised a camp after being expelled from 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 accommodate 15 especially vulnerable people for one month. The emergency arrangement is located at the Mare de Déu de Montserrat parish and has financial support from the Department of Social Rights.

Some of those evicted have managed to sleep under a roof after several nights outdoors, thanks to spaces made available by local organisations. However, most are still sleeping on the street, while social organisations insist that this temporary solution must be only the first step towards a more structural response.

The Generalitat and social organisations have set up a night shelter service in premises provided by the Church, operating from 20:00 to 08:00, with support from the Flore day centre. Cáritas, Cruz Roja and other organisations are involved in managing this resource.

Government spokesperson Sílvia Paneque has urged mayor Xavier García Albiol to reopen the Can Bofí Vell shelter, closed due to structural problems according to the City Council. Paneque recalls that the Generalitat needs municipal collaboration to act on this infrastructure.

Meanwhile, those evicted have camped beneath exit 210 of the C-31, after the Guàrdia Urbana prevented them from setting up in front of the former secondary school. Mayor Albiol defends the eviction as a necessary step to recover the building and rejects accusations of institutional racism.

Rain and the police presence have dispersed the migrants, who are seeking shelter in doorways, squares and vacant lots. Sindicat d'Habitatge Socialista de Catalunya denounces police harassment and demands real solutions.

Social organisations continue to seek alternatives and stress that homelessness requires coordinated, structural responses. Since September, the Generalitat and municipal social services have held weekly meetings to address the situation of the most vulnerable people in Badalona.