For nine years now, on the last Wednesday of October, we’ve been hosting a remembrance event for homeless people who have left us. We do this alongside other organizations that assist those living on the streets. We will all gather on October 30th in “Plaça Nova” in Barcelona, in front of the Cathedral, to assert that no one should have to live or die on the streets.
Since 2016, we have remembered 580 homeless people in this ceremony, which includes the participation of social organizations and the “Conservatori del Liceu”. Living on the streets reduces life expectancy; on average, a homeless person loses 25 years, making the average age of those we have lost 56 years. This year, we will remember 84 people. Between October 25, 2023, and October 25, 2024, 84 people have died in situations of exclusion. We will remember 73 men and 11 women who suffered greatly, felt alone, had too few opportunities in a system that failed them, and for various reasons, ended up living without a refuge.
We know that 47.8% of these people were living on the streets. For this reason, we are not surprised that the majority, a 70%, died from health complications. People who live or have lived on the street tend to have more fragile health and many difficulties in receiving adequate healthcare, which often comes only when an organization begins intensive support.
Each year, we are struck by the knowledge that some people die shortly after finding a home, after years of living on the streets. It’s as if their bodies, having finally found peace, simply let go, releasing the accumulated fear and anxiety. As if the streets wouldn’t allow them even to die in peace. This was the case with Lluís, who, at 92 years old, had just moved into an apartment when he passed away.
We are also concerned by the high rates of death from suicide (5.7%) and violent deaths (10%). Bachir, being only 29 years old, committed suicide after a harsh migratory process, unable to bear the weight of his experiences, leaving the residents of Nou Barris, where he usually slept, deeply affected. We will also remember Arturs, who was only 18 years old when he was murdered while sleeping rough. His death is a symptom of structural neglect of the most vulnerable.
Bachir and Lluís, but also Susan and Francisco, will be the faces of the manifesto agreed upon by around twenty organizations in Barcelona, which will be read on October 30th at a public event in “Plaça Nova”, in front of the Cathedral, at 6:30 p.m. This year, we will have live music from the “Conservatori del Liceu” and the “Xamfrà” choir. We will read final words in tribute to those who have died this past year who lived or had lived on the streets, and we will fill the square with cardboard houses, symbols of the homes they never had, made at the Arrels workshop, an occupational center to foster inclusion and hope for the people we serve.
This year’s event is organized in collaboration with a twenty other social entities that also support homeless people. They are Àmbit Prevenció, Càritas, ABD (Cas Baluard and UTE Primer la Llar), Dit i Fet, Heura, Santa Anna Campaign Hospital, Santa Lluïsa de Marillac, Metzineres, Sant Joan de Déu, the Sant Pere Claver organization, the Projecte Sostre, Suara, Barcelona Actúa, the Gregal soup kitchen, Metzineres, Social Sant Pau Gym, the Moroccan Women’s association, Salut Sense Sostre, Som provisionals and the Little Sisters of the Lamb.
On Wednesday, October 30th at 6:30 p.m, we look forward to seeing you at “Plaça Nova” in Barcelona. In the meantime, we share the event manifesto.
84 homes to Preserve the Memory
Have you ever thought about what it means to have a home? It’s more than just having a roof. Privacy, rest, warmth… A place to let go and breathe, somewhere to build our lives and identities.
Tamara didn’t have a home when she died a few weeks ago. She was lying on a bench in “Plaça Catalunya”, and it took four hours for anyone to notice she had passed away. Bachir didn’t have a home either when, at only 29, he decided to take his own life because the effort it demanded of him became unbearable.
Susan seemed to have made it, but something went wrong, and once again she found herself exposed to the coldness of the streets, where she died. Francisco always slept sitting in a parking lot entrance because lying down made him feel more vulnerable. Lluís, on the other hand, was just starting to live in an apartment when he left us unexpectedly.
Today, we remember 84 people who were living or had lived on the streets of Barcelona and who, over the past 12 months, have passed away. There are 11 women and 73 men who, on average, lived 56 years, 25 years less than the rest of the neighbors of the city. The oldest was Lluís, who was 92. Arturs, on the other hand, was the youngest and died on the streets, a victim of violence. He was only 18.
In the past 12 months, a homeless person has died every five days in Barcelona. Some passed away in solitude, and we learned of their loss through the police. Others felt the company of neighbors, hospital staff, or local shopkeepers… Did you know that Diego, when he lived in a centre, loved to go for walks and hear the neighbors greet him with a “hello”? Eugen was always accompanied by Pattua, his inseparable dog. And Dominic, who left us at 44, shared parts of his life with us when he felt cared for.
Neighbors, shopkeepers, healthcare workers, convalescence centers, services, and organizations… Thank you for offering moments of light and for providing support. Thank you for being a home for them, for keeping the memory of all those who, at some point, lived on the streets and have left us.
Over the past eight years, 580 homeless people have died in Barcelona, and we want to make them visible with these little houses of light that now fill the Cathedral square. To remind the authorities that living on the street is not normal, and that the right to life for many people depends on their actions.
These are 84 homes of light to protect the individual memory of each person who has left us and to maintain the collective memory of homelessness in our city. To ensure this never happens to us again.