Bloc 8 transfer secures housing for six families

The Agència de l'Habitatge de Catalunya (AHC) has completed the purchase of Bloc 8 in Manresa for €600,000, ending months of legal tension and preventing a mass eviction scheduled for 23 September. The building, located on Passatge Tudela and previously owned by US-based vulture fund Cerberus, will now become part of the public rental housing stock, providing permanent protected housing for six families, including eight minors. The acquisition was made using the right of first refusal (dret de tanteig i retracte), a legal mechanism the regional government says allows faster expansion of the public housing stock than new construction. Sílvia Paneque, Minister for Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition, said the tool enables authorities to "expand the public housing stock more swiftly" while guaranteeing residential stability for current residents.

Local and regional funding seals the deal

Of the total €600,000 cost, €540,000 is funded by the AHC and €60,000 by Manresa City Council. The council will also acquire one of the building’s commercial units and assist in completing pending renovation works and supporting resident families. Marc Aloy, mayor of Manresa, welcomed the agreement, calling it "very good news" that adds six much-needed affordable homes. He praised the speed with which the right of first refusal was activated.

Citizens' mobilisation hailed as key factor

The Plataforma d'Afectats per la Hipoteca i el Capitalisme del Bages (PAHC Bages), which occupied the long-vacant building on 1 May 2021, said the outcome is the result of sustained community pressure. Zalo Lorza, a PAHC spokesperson, stated:

Without the resistance during the February eviction attempt, we would not be where we are today. It is rare to see so clearly that collective action delivers results.

In February, around 100 activists spent the night at the site to block a second attempted eviction, following an initial one halted on 14 January involving Yuli Arévalo’s family. The group had campaigned since 2024 for expropriation of both Bloc 8 and Bloc 9, the latter still under threat and owned by Sareb. This marks the sixth occupied block in Manresa successfully regularised by PAHC Bages since 2012, after Blocks 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7. The platform warns that the victory does not end the housing crisis, noting a rise in evictions across the city since January and insufficient relocation capacity among local authorities.

We wanted this to set a precedent, that organised blocks are not evicted. We didn’t have to take action on 23 September because the message was heard,

said Lorza.

  • The Bloc 8 campaign included a countdown clock in Plaça Major.
  • Support poured in from unions, NGOs and housing groups across Catalonia.
  • A teachers’ strike was planned for 23 September to defend the residents.

Primary sources: govern.cat, govern.cat, govern.cat, govern.cat, govern.cat, govern.cat, govern.cat, govern.cat, govern.cat. Reported by naciodigital.cat, ACN, laura serrat. manresa, Jordi Morros, expropiacioblocs8i9.org, elplural.com, CatalunyaPress.es, Maties Lorente, Directa.