In Tarragona, Cáritas Diocesana says housing instability is now one of the main drivers of poverty, according to its annual report released on Thursday. The charity helped 10,251 people last year, and about half were living in precarious housing situations.

Those situations included renting rooms again, sharing accommodation with people outside the family, occupying properties, or being homeless. Salvador Grané, director of Cáritas Tarragona, said a strong economy does not automatically reduce poverty, and noted that more people needed help than in the previous year.

The charity said unstable housing affects physical and mental health, family relationships and job prospects. It also said children and teenagers are affected in their development. Cáritas increased housing support by 27%, but said the lack of affordable homes makes it hard to do more.

Grané and Pilar Obiols, the social action coordinator, said having a job does not always protect people from hardship. They warned that society is becoming used to the idea of the working poor. Among working-age people assisted by Cáritas who were not employed, 61% were jobless, and 42% had post-compulsory education.

Obiols said the people they support keep trying to improve their situation through job searches and training, but the main barrier is not a lack of effort. Cáritas said its training programmes helped 951 people last year, and 25% found work.

The report also said the situation is harder for people born outside Spain who are living without regular status, who made up 37% of those helped last year. The Migration service supported 872 people, up 17% from the previous year. Cáritas said missing documents make it harder to access fair work, housing and training. The charity is also supporting the extraordinary regularisation process, with 26 group sessions across the territory and individual guidance for 263 people.

Ada Valios, head of communication and awareness, said poverty is about more than money. She said community participation, social ties and support networks help protect families from exclusion, while children are often left out of extracurricular and leisure activities because their families cannot afford them. Cáritas said 4,503 people received support through reception and accompaniment programmes last year, and that its work depends on 1,134 volunteers. More local coverage is available on our news page.