The number of staff at the Anti-Eviction Unit is set to rise from 16 to 43, including a new five-strong legal team. The new staff will complement the team currently working in administration and coordination and will provide unique specialist communication with judicial bodies, a key part in finding out about legal cases in the shortest possible time frame and being able to act as soon as possible.
The rest of the extra staff will see the number of social and mediation workers rise from thirteen to thirty. Twenty of the thirty new professionals will be working on the ground, out in the streets and with families, with the other ten based in housing offices. The city has one housing office in each district. Click here for their contact details.
The tender price for renewing the unit is 5,091,112 euros for a two-year period, with the option of two year-long extensions, up to a total of four years. This represents a notable rise in investment, from 700,000 euros a year to 2.5 million.
More resources and better coordination with all stakeholders
The staffing boost means teams will have more time and resources to become familiar with cases in advance and be able to arrange the best possible response with all the resources available to avoid the loss of a home. At the same time, families will have a single professional go-to service, offering comprehensive support in the whole process. Support for families plays a key part in helping reduce the stress and anxiety that come with eviction processes.
The goal is also greater coordination and collaboration with all parties involved in an eviction process. This applies to communication with social movements and organisations linked to the right to housing, as well as judicial committees and the Mossos d’Esquadra police corps, to gauge the scenario, anticipate responses and formulate action which is less harmful for families.
Over 30,000 evictions halted since 2017
The unit was set up in 2015 given the need for a service to provide specific support for vulnerable families. Today, thanks to the work of the Anti-Eviction Unit and movements of local people, 90% of eviction orders in the city are not executed and 80% are suspended before the specified date of eviction.
Except for 2020, with the general standstill during lockdown, the number of people helped by the unit has remained stable since 2017. In 2021, the service helped 2,267 families, bringing the overall total to 31,000 people, a third of them minors.