Social organizations warn of the health effects of living on the streets, a situation that reduces life expectancy to 25 years less than the rest of the population
Living on the streets does not mean not having dreams or illusions. Like the rest of the people in our society, people experiencing homelessness also have their own desires. For this reason, this Thursday dozens of people in a situation of social exclusion or people who work in services that serve them took to the streets with a unanimous cry: “Homeless, but with dreams”.
This action, which took place yesterday at 12:00 noon in Plaça Sant Jaume, was called by the 39 member organizations that make up the Homeless People Care Network (XASPLL), on the occasion of the European Day of People in a Situation of Homelessness, which is celebrated on November 23.
In an event with a clear protest tone, the entities brought to the table the devastating effects that living on the streets has on people's health. A clear example is that people in a situation of homelessness have a life expectancy of 57 years, 25 years lower than that of the rest of the population.
Currently, 1,581 people live on the streets of Barcelona, 14% more than a year ago, of which nearly 330 sleep in settlements. The vast majority of these people, 46%, have no income; while only 13.3% have a paid activity.
The social entities have also wanted to bring to the table the need to facilitate the registration of people living on the streets, nearly 70% of the people they serve are of diverse origins. In this context, they have recalled that throughout Catalonia there are at least 37 town halls that are obstructing registration.
“When a person is in an irregular administrative situation, they have greater difficulty in having a stable job and income, and therefore having decent housing. In addition, there are many Catalan municipalities where access to the registry of people in a situation of homelessness is difficult, and because of this, they cannot access basic rights,
such as healthcare, education, or a well-paid job. Without documentation, none of this is possible”, the entities have warned in a joint statement.
For all this, the entities have demanded that the approval of the Catalan law be accelerated to eradicate homelessness and guarantee the registration of all people living on the streets.
All of this, goes through a basic demand: that all people can have access to a decent home to be able to transform their lives and build a new one. This is precisely the objective of programs such as Primer la Llar, owned by the Barcelona City Council and managed by Sant Joan de Déu Serveis Socials and the UTE Suara Cooperativa i Pere Claver, which offers a stable roof to people who have suffered from a prolonged situation of homelessness over time.
Theatrical action
During yesterday's event that took place yesterday in the street, people carried out a participatory theatrical action, where they showed everyday situations that people in a situation of homelessness experience, through which the main factors that perpetuate exclusion, poverty of people and the discrimination they suffer emerged, such as: aporophobia, precarious health and the impossibility of accessing housing, among others.
Situations that condemn them to have more mental and emotional health problems, since the lack of privacy, insecurity and living conditions can generate stress, anxiety and depression.
From the CAI Sarrià, a service of the city council managed by Suara Cooperativa, they have highlighted: “We want to make visible the silenced dreams of those who face multiple barriers every day: people who, despite working, cannot access housing; migrants trapped in invisibility; victims of gender-based violence who cannot find a safe way out; people with disabilities who cannot find job opportunities; or women and men with mental health problems or addictions”.
On this European Day of People in a Situation of Homelessness, we want everyone to be able to make their dreams come true and for this to be possible, it is necessary that all people in our society have access to a safe roof over their heads where they can build their lives.
