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People evicted from B9 occupy Badalona’s closed shelter and heighten the social crisis
The social conflict in Badalona is intensifying. People expelled from B9 take over the Can Bofí Vell shelter. The refuge has been closed since May 2024. Residents prevent migrants from being accommodated. The authorities seek urgent solutions. Discover all the details in our report.
The social situation in Badalona has taken a new turn after the eviction of the former B9 secondary school, where up to 400 people were living. A group of those expelled has occupied the only municipal shelter for homeless people, Can Bofí Vell, which has been closed since May 2024. This move worsens the crisis and highlights the lack of alternatives for those left on the street.
On Sunday, tensions rose when a group of local residents prevented around fifteen people evicted from B9 from taking shelter in another space. Meanwhile, the occupants of Can Bofí Vell have made their situation public through a letter addressed to the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa. In the letter, they say that many of them have had to sleep under the C31 bridge since the eviction and lament the loss of a roof over their heads and the possibility of maintaining a dignified life.
Those affected consider the municipal shelter to be the place to which they are entitled and criticise the lack of an institutional response. They state that their rights have been infringed and that neither the municipal social services nor the Generalitat has offered help after the eviction.
Outside Can Bofí Vell, there is a constant police presence, with vehicles from the Mossos d'Esquadra and the Guardia Urbana monitoring the area. Social organisations have called a protest for this Monday at 18:00 in support of those evicted. Some people are said to have entered the shelter before the B9 eviction, while other groups joined afterwards.
In the letter, those evicted recall that the judge who authorised the eviction required the protocol for assisting homeless people to be followed, something which, according to them, has not been done. They say that they remain on the street without institutional help.
Municipal sources have stated that they learned of the occupation through the media. The mayor, Xavier Garcia Albiol, is due to meet this Monday with the Minister for Social Rights, Mònica Martínez Bravo, to address the crisis. The City Council has asked for the talks with the Govern to conclude before making public assessments.