Barcelona City Council is earmarking an additional nine million euros this year to guarantee support for the homeless in the face of the Covid-19 health crisis. The funds come on top of the 35 million euros budgeted for to help the homeless this year, bringing the overall amount to 44 million euros.

The extra nine million will help cover the seven accommodation facilities set up in the city since the state of emergency was declared. Between them they have helped 1,025 people, 30% of whom arrived from other municipalities, 33% of whom had not been homeless before and 36% of whom do not have their papers in order.

Three of the centres will continue to function until at least 31 December and increase their capacity: the one managed by Progress exclusively for women, the one managed by Superacció for young homeless people, and the one for people with addictions, lent by the Fundació Pere Tarrés and managed by the Associació Benestar i Desenvolupament (ABD). This will add 160 permanent places to the 2,200 which already existed in the city before lockdown.

The halls lent by Fira de Barcelona, with a capacity for 450 people, will continue to operate until 30 September, with the collaboration of the Catalan Red Cross and the Fundació Salut i Communitat, offering night shelter with breakfast, supper, hygiene, laundry and clothing services.

The rest of the special facilities providing food and hygiene will be reorganised case by case, the aim being that nobody in need misses out on the services they have been provided with during lockdown. The commitment from the Municipal Institute of Social Services (IMSS) and the social entities involved is to keep track of how the pandemic evolves and to adapt the various facilities to the situations that may arise.