More than 50 social entities from Badalona presented their manifesto this Wednesday at the Mare de Déu de Montserrat church. We have a dream. Fair and dignified Badalonaa declaration that calls for “reinforcing social cohesion in the face of increasing inequalities and the housing emergency in the city.” The document arises after the death of five homeless people so far this year, in a context of increasing pressure on care resources after the eviction of the former B9 institute, the largest informal settlement in Catalonia. The presentation of the manifesto coincides with a particularly tense week in Badalona: the mayor, Xavier García Albiol, ordered the eviction of the settlement under the C-31 bridge followed by the cleaning of the premises with chemical products. Part of those evicted were former residents of the B-9 institute vacated by Albiol just before Christmas without any housing alternative. The Prosecutor’s Office, which was investigating the incident, this Wednesday considered it “a breach of order.”
The document, as commented by the organization, is the result of a “broad social consensus” that has as its central axis the “dream of a welcoming land and opportunities.” Carles Sagués, from the Badalona Acull platform, has highlighted the diversity of the participants: “They are entities with different nuances, with different ways of seeing things.” The organizations warn that precariousness and lack of access to decent housing are “aggravating exclusion” in Badalona and give as an example the eviction of the old B-9 institute, which left hundreds of people in a vulnerable situation without any housing alternative offered. The groups appeal for a “humanitarian response” to homelessness, with special attention to the most vulnerable groups. From the entities, they have stressed: “We know that many of the problems are structural and that there is no single answer. But there are situations of extreme vulnerability that need to be addressed today.”
The manifesto raises 10 points considered urgent, among them: the reinforcement of social services, the expansion of the public housing stock and the creation of resources that do not exist in the city, such as the reopening of the Can Bofí Vell municipal shelter or a soup kitchen. It also calls for facilitating the registration of people without a fixed address, improving coordination between administrations and entities and establishing emergency care protocols. The entities insist that these measures are “essential to avoid a greater social fracture and guarantee basic rights.”
The presentation of the document occurred one day after an operation, with the support of the Urban Police, evicted about 30 people installed in tents under the C-31 bridge. The deployment was carried out after “neighborhood complaints” about the conditions of the space and, as explained by the Badalona Administration, it was activated for “public health reasons.”
To ensure cleanliness, chemicals were applied in the area which, according to the City Council, can be toxic in prolonged exposure but “do not cause any effect to those passing by.” This Wednesday, the space still had a strong smell and was blocked by yellow containment fences. In this settlement it was built in December by a large part of the former presidents of the B9. Sagués, from Badalona Acull, explained that some of the evicted people have spent the night on the beach and others have dispersed throughout the Sant Roc neighborhood: “They have spread out through the streets and have installed mattresses like those who have nowhere to go do.” Hours after the evacuation under the highway, the old B-9 institute suffered a fire during the night, with no injuries reported. After putting out the flames, the Urban Guard continues to monitor the premises this Wednesday.
In parallel, the municipal opposition has requested the convening of an extraordinary plenary session with the participation of the mayor for next Friday. PSC, ERC, Badalona en Comú and Guanyem demand the reopening of the Can Bofí Vell municipal shelter, closed last year during Albiol’s mandate, among other alternatives for the sinhogarism. Despite this, according to the document from the Prosecutor’s Office this Wednesday, the Badalona City Council has already admitted before the judge that it does not have a protocol to care for homeless people.
