Arrels’ team is composed of volunteers, people who are living or have lived on the street, and a working team that guarantees the organization’s functionality.

  • Currently, more than 400 volunteers dedicate at least one morning or one evening a week to collaborate in the different services and departments of the organization. Arrels is a volunteer organization and without the volunteer team, we would not be able to open the doors. Become a volunteer.
  • More than 25 people who are living or have lived on the street participate in maintenance and logistics tasks, give talks on homelessness to sensibilize young people, collaborate doing courier’s tasks or in the Open Day Center’s wardrobe, etc.
  • The working team is composed of 90 people: educators, social workers, lawyers, nurses, communications professionals, computer experts, experts in financing, maintenance and logistics technicians, etc.

Areas of action

Direct care

This accounts for 80% of Arrels’ budget.
  • First reception team
    The outreach team walks around Barcelona’s streets getting in touch with homeless people and establishing a first contact with them. Once they arrive at our day center, homeless people can receive first care. They can receive some orientation, accompaniment and essential services such as showers, our wardrobe, pharmacy, cloakroom, and mail receiving facility.
  • Individual supporter team
    They look after people linked with the organization in an individualized way. They work so that people can have their essential needs filled and find decent housing. Our goal is to strengthen people’s autonomy.
  • Occupational program team: La Troballa
    It is at the expense of people who live or have lived on the street potentially occupying the time. He also manages the occupational workshop, a space for the creation of artisanal products that has become an excuse to work on recovering habits, coexistence and self-esteem, encouraging people to feel useful again.
  • Pere Barnés home team
    They give a residential space to homeless people and to those in poor health, with the goal that they can recover mentally and physically.
  • Juridical care team
    They give advice and deal to people who are linked to the entity, denounce cases of discrimination or violence, revise the rules related to homeless people and manages the legal aspects of the entity.
  • Hospital team
    They give logistical and practical support to people who are linked to the organization where they are registered. They are also concerned with relocation once they recover from their their hospitalisation.
  • Residence team
    They accompany people who have been assisted by Arrels so they can have access to a proper home according to their needs to make their settlement easier.

Awareness and political action

This represents some 8% of Arrels’ budget.

  • Communication team
    Their task is to inform, orientate and sensibilize about homelessness, Arrels’ work and how to collaborate to make our goal #nobodysleeepingonthestreet possible. They also work to assist entities, companies, partners and donors who want to collaborate; they manage the Arrels shop, a space to bring citizens and homeless people together, and also sell artisanal products made to the occupational workshop.
  • Advocacy, Research and Evaluation Team
    It is responsible for conducting research in the field of homelessness, preparing studies and reports; making proposals to the administration with the aim of reviewing and improving the social policies currently in place. It is also responsible for evaluating the impact of our work and creating strategies to end homelessness.

Internal management and human work

These departments make up the entity’s structure and represents 12% of Arrels’ budget.

  • Internal management team
    They work on different areas -computing, maintenance, administration and finances- to guarantee the proper functioning and the continuity of the organization.
  • Human work management team
    He is responsible for managing the human team at Arrels. On the one hand, the management of the contracted team: and, on the other, the coordination of one of Arrels’ mainstays: volunteers from different spaces and services, their tasks and their needs.

 

Arrels’ management team

Arrels’ management team gives support to the director in making executive decisions on behalf of the entity. They always focus on the mid and long term.

It is composed of:

  • Beatriz Fernández, director.
  • Oriol Admetlla, volunteer.
  • Josep Garcia, volunteer.
  • Marta Maynou, head of the first reception team.
  • Ester Sànchez, head of the individual supporter team.
  • Laia Vila, head of the Pere Barnés home.
  • Rocío Alonso, head of the ocuppational program team.
  • Eva Hobeich, head of the juridical care team.
  • –, head of the communication team.
  • Guillem Fernández, head of advocacy, research and evaluation team.
  • Elisabet Pascual, head of the internal management team.
  • Paola Contreras, head of the human resources and the voluntary work management.

 

Arrels’ patronage

Patronage is the main executive body of Arrels. They are in charge of drawing the strategic lines on the mid and long term for Arrels. The body is composed of people from different professional areas. They look after every action so they follow the mission, vision and values of the organization.

Currently it is composed of:

  • President: Francesc Mateu
    Doctor, specializing in tropical medicine. He has worked on international cooperation and migration issues at Oxfam Intermón; in Latin America, Africa, and Catalonia. He has also worked for the educational and social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. He is currently director of the ForumSD, which coordinates the municipal Síndics de Greuges.
  • Secretary: Maria Iglesias.
    Graduate in Administration and Business Management. Currently, she is the director of employability of the Fundació Nous Cims.
  • Spokesperson: Montserrat Lamoglia.
    Nurse and Health Promotion Doctor. Professor of the Degree in Nursing at the Sant Joan de Déu Teaching Campus (CDSJD) and Head of Solidarity, Volunteering and Cooperation at the CDSJD.
  • Spokesperson: Teresa Bermudez.
    She holds a degree in Psychology and in Nursing. She is currently the coordinator of the Llars i Insula projects at Sant Joan de Déu – Serveis Socials Barcelona.
  • Spokesperson: Francina Alsina.
    She has been an Arrels volunteer since 1989. For 8 years, she has been president of the Federació Catalana de Voluntariat Social (FCVS). She has also been president of the Taula del Tercer Sector Social during the 2017-2024 period.
  • Spokesperson: David Fernàndez.
    Journalist and activist in different social movements. He was deputy in the Parliament of Catalonia from 2012 to 2015. He is linked to Directa since its inception and collaborates with other media such as Ara, RAC1 or Ràdio Estel.
  • Spokesperson: Isabel de Balanzó.
    She has been Arrels’ volunteer since 1993. For fifteen years, she was volunteering at the hospitals team. She currently collaborates in the outreach team, in the rest homes team and the Ethical Reflection and Action Group of Arrels.
  • Spokesperson: Joan Baptista Batlle.
  • Spokesperson: Bernat Mullerat.
  • Spokesperson: Sònia Pau.
  • Spokesperson: Josep Maria Anguera.

Discover our team, in images.