The Barcelona City Council has been recognized for one of its most outstanding mediation and counseling programs to prevent the loss of housing in the city. Specifically, it is the Housing Loss and Occupancy Intervention Service (SIPHO), which intervenes in 90% of the eviction cases in the city and which, thanks to its valuable work, has received the prestigious World Habitat Award in the bronze category.
The award is given by World Habitat, an international charitable organization recognized by the United Nations (UN) Department of Public Information that works to make housing a basic right for everyone, far from turning it into an investment or a dream. And among its most outstanding actions are the World Habitat Awards, organized in association with UN-Habitat, which as leading housing awards recognize and highlight innovative, exceptional and revolutionary ideas, projects and programs from around the world.
Key help in times of emergency
World Habitat especially encourages communities to take control of solving their own housing needs. This is precisely what Barcelona City Council does with the SIPHO program.
Specialized in advising and accompanying cohabitation units affected by an eviction process, the professionals who make up this program often act as mediators between the courts, the landlords, and the tenants, and coordinate a joint effort to find an agreed solution that avoids the loss of housing. So much so that the service prevents nine out of ten evictions.
Often, SIPHO intervenes in urgent cases where, with an eviction order on the table, residents are at risk of losing their homes within 15 days. In the event it is stopped, SIPHO works out a plan to help residents retain their rental agreement, while if eviction is unavoidable, it works to relocate the affected family. Thus, although the priority is to ensure that people do not have to leave their homes, in the event of an eviction, alternative housing is quickly found.
The program, funded entirely by the Barcelona City Council, has so far helped 31,000 people, with demand for the service increasing significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, the program works with people in vulnerable situations, as shown by the 2021 data: 86% of cases involved people living below the poverty line, while 47% included children.
“The future for a person who is told they have to leave the place they call home is frightening, but SIPHO offers the help these people need during this very difficult process,” explains World Habitat Executive Director David Ireland.
The World Habitat Awards, in operation since 1985, recognize projects that improve the living conditions of people in many different contexts and are classified into three categories: winners (gold), special mention (silver), and finalists (bronze).