Barcelona's Ombudsman, David Bondia, has started sharing a pilot plan to halve street homelessness in the city and potentially L'Hospitalet de Llobregat within just over a year. The 'Zero Street Plan' calls for unified action from public administrations, charities, and the private sector to help people without homes build new lives.
Bondia has presented his proposal to institutions, municipal groups, and charities in recent weeks, according to sources. The plan focuses on creating a single census for homeless individuals, ensuring each person receives a personal case manager within 48 hours. This manager would help them access aid and housing options.
The plan also requires administrations to guarantee rights such as municipal registration and benefits, which are essential for leaving the streets. The private and civil sectors are expected to contribute by providing housing and job opportunities.
Coordinated Action and Housing Access
A key element of the plan is the coordinated support from charities and institutions, alongside a shared list of available protected housing across Catalonia. This housing, whether private, charity-owned, or institutional, would speed up the process of moving people off the streets. An example given is three homeless individuals, eligible for aid, using that support to pay for social housing and start a new life.
Charities like Càritas, Assís, Fundació La Caixa, the Red Cross, Fundació Roure, Hospital Sagrat Cor, and Sant Joan de Déu have participated in meetings with Bondia. The Barcelona Bar Association (ICAB) and organisations like Hàbitat3 and Pimec have also been involved. Bondia told ARA that it is "key to involve three sectors, the municipal, the charity, and the private, and make them work not in parallel, but jointly, with the common goal of eradicating homelessness in our home."
While charities see the proposal as an ambitious opportunity, they warn that its success depends on sufficient resources, strong coordination, and clear leadership. They also stress the need to involve specialised third-sector organisations to use their knowledge and connection with the homeless community. Charities have requested more technical details before fully evaluating the project.
Calls for Increased Funding and New Legislation
According to charities, the most urgent actions are a significant increase in funding to combat homelessness and the approval of a law guaranteeing rights for those experiencing homelessness. Such a law would specify the obligations of all administrations and ensure necessary resources. However, this legislation has been stalled in the Catalan Parliament since the last legislature.
Barcelona City Council has expressed some reservations. Bondia presented his proposal to municipal groups and Mayor Jaume Collboni before Easter. Sonia Fuertes, the council's Commissioner for Social Action, stated that the proposal "must be analysed and, if necessary, implemented" given its critical nature. However, she also highlighted the importance of the City Council's social services' technical expertise.
Fuertes raised concerns about the governance model, noting that a project involving multiple municipalities beyond Barcelona cannot proceed without considering the Generalitat. She also questioned the plan's prioritisation of individuals who have been homeless for longer periods, except for absolute priority cases like women experiencing violence, the elderly, or those with severe health issues. Fuertes argued that experience shows rapid intervention for those recently homeless has a higher success rate.
Addressing 'Real Estate Racism'
Fuertes pointed out that some aspects of the Ombudsman's pilot plan are already being implemented by the City Council's social services. She emphasised that innovation is needed to help people in emergency accommodation, such as council-funded shelters, access permanent housing. "We have many people ready to leave, with income, employment, and even savings of €7,000, who cannot find anyone to rent them a flat," she said, attributing this to "real estate racism."
Resolving this bottleneck, Fuertes explained, would allow for a rotation in emergency accommodation that is not currently happening. This would enable people in hostels to move into housing, freeing up places for others experiencing homelessness to enter the system and, crucially, exit it.
