Badalona's Folre day centre, which supports homeless people, is seeking a larger space to expand its operations, officials announced on Tuesday during the centre's 30th-anniversary celebration. The centre currently serves approximately 40 people daily and assists nearly 250 individuals annually, according to project leaders.
Salvador Maneu, director of Sant Joan de Déu Serveis Socials Barcelona, stated, "We want to grow the project and reach more people, but it needs the complicity, support, and cooperation of the City Council and the Generalitat." Despite its established presence, Folre faces waiting lists, highlighting the urgent need for more resources to address homelessness in the city. The organisation plans to create a new facility to complement the services offered for the past five years at its current location on Mossèn Anton Street in the Centre neighbourhood.
Folre provides a safe and dignified space where individuals can meet basic needs and begin personal recovery. Mònica Martínez Bravo, Minister for Social Rights, and Eva Guillén, Badalona's fifth deputy mayor, both acknowledged the need for expansion. Martínez Bravo said, "It is a source of pride to have projects like these in Badalona, in Catalonia," adding that "when there are movements that want to dehumanise people, we must cling to hope, as we are all human beings." Guillén affirmed the municipal government's desire for the project to remain a "reference" and pledged support for its expansion to help more people in Badalona.
Three Decades of Support
Folre began 30 years ago, initiated by young volunteers from Sant Josep Parish in Badalona who wanted to help people sleeping rough. Initially operating from a small parish room, one of its first actions was distributing sandwiches. Xavier Oncins, a counsellor for Cáritas Diocesana de Barcelona and one of the project's founders, recalled, "We were six young people from four Badalona parishes, with great enthusiasm and a completely altruistic desire to help." Today, the centre offers a multi-purpose room, breakfast service, showers, laundry, a wardrobe, lockers for belongings and phone charging, and social information and advice.
This initiative is part of the Bisbe Carrera Inclusion Programme, which aims to support homeless people in Badalona and aid their full recovery. The programme currently provides residential accommodation for 28 individuals across 26 inclusion flats, in addition to the Folre day centre. Mar Alsamora, head of Social Action at the Roca i Pi Foundation, which co-sponsors Folre with the Hospital Order of Sant Joan de Déu and Cáritas Diocesana de Barcelona, noted that the latest count identified 110 people sleeping rough in Badalona. This represents a 22% increase from the previous count, showing a worsening situation.
Addressing Homelessness in Badalona
Alsamora stated, "Homelessness is a violation of rights and not an inevitable reality; a coordinated, structural, and sustained response over time is needed between administrations and social entities." Homelessness in Badalona has been a contentious issue, leading to disputes between Xavier Garcia Albiol's municipal government, the opposition, and local social organisations. In late March, around 50 local entities signed a manifesto, the 'Badalona Declaration', urging the local government to take action.
Controversies have included the announcement of the closure of Can Bofí Vell, Badalona's only municipal shelter for homeless people, which prompted the Catalan Ombudsman to open an official investigation. Other incidents include the eviction of hundreds of migrants living in the former B9 institute in December 2025 and the subsequent management of those displaced. The opening of the Colina sports centre to house homeless people during the cold weather operation in early 2026 also drew criticism from the opposition, as there were no blankets or beds on the first night. The number of people who died while sleeping rough climbed to six cases, leading the opposition to force an extraordinary plenary session for Albiol's government to provide explanations. During that session, the mayor announced the upcoming opening of the city's first municipal soup kitchen.
