As part of a protest and awareness-raising event organised by the Network of Organisations for the Care of Homeless People of Alicante (REAPSHA), dozens of locals and people who are homeless spent the night outside in the Town Hall square. The event started in front of the Department of Social Welfare and ended in the square with the reading of a manifesto. It included a symbolic campsite that was available to the public so that people might “understand the reality of those without a roof over their heads.”
According to REAPSHA, the number of individuals sleeping on the streets of Alicante is close to 300. This number has gone up a lot in the previous year, according to the network itself, and it indicates that there aren’t enough stable housing options and that public measures aren’t working. During the protest, the group asked the government to put in place a clear public plan, fully supported with actual resources, for the professional and stable care of homeless people.
The main focus of the event was the reading of a manifesto that called for more shelter places and supported housing, as well as better access to benefits and the removal of administrative barriers (such not being registered or having the right paperwork) that keep many people from getting help. REAPSHA used the day to ask people to share their “experience” of spending a night outside as a method to get the word out.
Social organisations and city services: People from groups like Cáritas and outreach teams took part in the mobilisation and cautioned about the rise in residential isolation in the province. Cáritas in Alicante says that the number of people they help who are homeless has gone up, and they are asking the authorities to take “urgent action” because living on the streets is dangerous, especially for persons with mental or physical health problems.
The City Council says that it runs a wide range of programs and services, such as the Reception and Integration Centre and a network of assisted housing, to help people, include them, and keep them from losing their homes. The groups, on the other hand, say that the current supply is not enough to satisfy the growing need and that there are waiting lists and other problems that make it hard to get resources.
Demands and Proposals: In the manifesto read last night, REAPSHA and the groups that organised the event called for, among other things, the creation of more stable housing spaces, socially supported housing programs that allow for long-term inclusion, social rental policies, and making it easier for people without registration or documentation to get economic and administrative help. They also want rules to make sure homeless individuals aren’t arrested and that government agencies work together.
Responses and what to do next
Sources within the network have said they will keep up the pressure with fresh awareness campaigns and technological ideas aimed at both the City Council and the Generalitat (Catalan government) to push for a strategic plan that gives the problem a structural response. The City Council has talked about current programs and its desire to work together on resources in the past, but the NGOs say that more has to be done and that there should be clear timelines.
Author: Derek Appleton
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