The headquarters of the Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation of Barcelona (IMHAB) was the venue chosen to carry out the last bureaucratic procedures and to hand over the keys of different homes for the elderly, all of which had become available due to different circumstances.
One by one, the awardees were attended by IMHAB technicians, who advised and guided them in the completion of the last necessary formalities, in a moment of great happiness and that opens a new stage in their lives.
“I’ve been waiting for housing for about six years, and I finally got it. I feel as if I’ve won the lottery. Even the neighbors in the new apartment already know me,” Juan Gabriel Leal, a successful bidder in Sants-Montjuïc, remarked happily.
In this case, the 17 apartments were part of different developments and are distributed in seven districts of the city: Nou Barris, Les Corts, Sant Martí, Eixample, Sant Andreu, Sants-Montjuïc and Sarrià-Sant Gervasi. Once the keys have been handed over, the successful bidders are expected to move into their new homes during the month of March.
Teresa Maria Salvadó, a resident of Sant Martí, also expressed her satisfaction: “After seven years of waiting, and having lived in shared apartments, with the pandemic in the middle, it has not been easy. I love the apartment, much more than I thought I would. Besides, my profession is artistic, and I need a lot of light to work, and this apartment has it. It feels like it was made for me.
Affordable and accessible housing
In the expansion of the public housing stock throughout the city in recent years by the Barcelona City Council, the elderly are being served with housing that is equipped and adapted to their needs.
These are social housing units for protected rental, municipally owned, aimed at people over 65 years of age, self-employed and who do not own their own home or, if they do, it is not accessible. The people who end up being awarded have the right to use them for life, paying a rent that is set according to the income of each person.
A commitment of the City Council that translates into about 1,500 current housing units distributed in 24 developments located in different districts, with special emphasis on Sant Martí, Ciutat Vella and Nou Barris. In addition, there are around 500 homes in the pipeline spread over six developments to be located in Eixample, Sant Martí, Sant Andreu and Gràcia.
Homes, such as the ones received by these 17 beneficiaries, are safe, comfortable and integrated into the community. With an area of approximately 40 m² where you can find a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen and an adapted bathroom, in addition to communal spaces, all of them also have sockets located at a comfortable height, centralized alarm in the bathroom and bedroom, telecare, concierge, personal and social support, cleaning service of housing and common areas, self-laundry service and small maintenance. For more information on this type of housing, please consult the following link.
To gain access, the successful bidders must be registered in the Barcelona Social Housing Applicants Register, the only valid official way to apply for subsidized housing in the city of Barcelona.