There are 28,552 people without a home in Spain; This figure is 25% more than in 2012According to research published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) last year. The majority are men, around 77%, but the number of women has increased by around 20% in the last decade. This endemic disease of society affects everyone equally, in all age ranges and of all nationalities, whether Spanish or foreign; however, the data used to treat only accounts for those receiving care at health centres.
Third sector organizations and NGOs to solve this problem They propose to distinguish between two lines of action: Housing First and Housing Leadership. According to the report, both are shelter and homeless assistance centers and are currently operating and achieving significant success. ‘Is a house the same as a house?’It was prepared and introduced by the international consultancy firm EY. Housing Led focuses solely on people facing such a situation for the first time and offers them temporary shared housing and support; Housing First, on the other hand, attacks the opposite group, the most vulnerable, individuals living on the streets. , is in an emergency situation and in need of individual housing and long-term support.
One of the pioneering schemes in Spain started in 2014 in Spain. Habitat ProgramThis program is supported by the non-profit organization Hogar Sí. 152 people, all with mental health issues, addictions or disabilities. The results were positive: income from begging, victimization and discrimination decreased.
Solving the problem with numbers
According to the EY report, three homeless people were placed in a single house, The national problem will be solved with around 10 thousand units and an investment of 1.2 billion euros. (100,000 euros per house), but if debt is used for purchases only 480 to 600 million will be required. “It is important to note that the source of all these funds does not have to be 100% monetary contribution, but may also come through subsidies and asset contributions from different owners or managements,” the study states.
In addition to the funds required for the disposal of properties, They have a rental fee, maintenance fee and resident companionship fee.. The ‘big four’ estimate that 151 to 175 million euros per year should be allocated for this purpose: a profitability of around 6% to 8% for apartment owners and a salary cost of 39,000 euros for each employee.
To solve the problem of homelessness Spain It is not necessary to build a single house. “There are 3.4 million empty homes, so if this system does not have to be rehabilitated and put into use, the necessary stock is there. From an investor point of view, while it is a profitable investment and has a high ESG component, there are some market players who can do this. From EY They added that they used this solution to sell some of their remaining stocks and that they are currently having difficulty selling in the market.According to the consultancy, individuals as well as some large funds can participate in this program.
What does it take to solve homelessness?
According to the aforementioned EY study, four actors are required to implement the Housing First solution to solve homelessness: property owner, tenant, user and support. The owners of the houses may be an NGO, a public administration, individuals, institutions or even investment vehicles specially created for this purpose; for example, Primero H, which will soon go public, or Techo, which has already raised a 22 million buyout. houses. Tenants who will pay adjusted and below-market rent to landlords will be NGOs or public administrations in their work to provide social housing because users do not have the funds to do so. These representatives should also be tasked with accompanying the resident to protect and improve his or her personal situation.
Pedro Cabrera, professor of Sociology at the Pontifical University of Comillas and one of the leading experts on the subject, emphasized the importance of coordination between the different actors involved in social housing. During the presentation of the study, he assured: “If there is a communication error that is really slowing down the solution of this problem, it is Lack of connection or constructive relationship between the authorities responsible for housing and the authorities responsible for social services“Science has also provided descriptive data on homelessness that does not take into account any official sources, for example that around 20 percent of people affected by this problem are more disabled than 33 percent, or that 30 percent receive some wages, such as around 300 or 400 euros.” help type.