Around 300 people in street situations attended the popular paella held on Saturday in the Parque del Mar to demand and raise awareness among citizens and administrations about the emergency situation suffered by men and women who, due to different circumstances in life, are left “out of coverage” and without access to basic rights.

The entities that form part of the Church’s Charitable and Social Pastoral Area (La Sapiencia Social Foundation; Prison Pastoral; Sojorn Project; San José Youth; Health Pastoral; Justice and Peace and Cáritas Mallorca) have organised this popular paella to raise awareness of the homeless collective and the need to act with courageous measures in the short and long term to respond to a reality that has been worsening in recent times.

Jaume Alemany, from Pastoral Penitenciaria y Estadía, was the spokesperson for the organisations during the event. He took the floor to warn that the situation of people deprived of the right to decent housing urgently requires immediate solutions. “The strength of unity, of collective conscience, of group empowerment, is a first step in tackling this problem suffered by a very large group of people, which is not diminishing, but on the contrary, is growing”.

Alemany recalled that there are many and diverse causes that mean that every day more and more people find themselves on the street. “It is not just the occasional case of a person who has suffered a setback, nor the occasional situation of someone who, because they have lost their place of work and cannot pay the rent”. It is about the “suffering situation of many people, families, who despite having a paid job cannot afford the abusive rents, nor the impossible conditions demanded by private individuals and real estate companies to rent a property.

In his speech, Alemany spoke of the need for social pedagogy. “We must all take responsibility for what happens and affects few or many citizens. Many landlords abuse rents, others have closed houses because they don’t need the rent to live, others live outside the reality that affects others… we all have the duty and the right to intervene democratically in the construction of a fair society, paying taxes, voting, demanding effective management from those who represent us, etc.”.

852 people assisted

The area for the Charitable and Social Pastoral of the Church of Mallorca works together through different services and in the last year has given coverage to approximately 852 people who are in a street situation and who suffer from various realities such as mental health problems, people who leave prison and who do not have a home; people over 65 years of age with dependency who cannot access a public or private residence; and entire families who cannot access housing due to an increase in the price of housing and inflation among other causes.
causes.