43% of the 1,200 people who live on the streets in Barcelona have no one to count on. This is clear from the survey of citizens who find themselves in this situation carried out by Arrels Fundació. The work has revealed that this problem intensifies among individuals of non-EU origin. However, it has shown that the longer a person has lived rough, the more common it is for them to obtain support and empathy from shopkeepers or neighbors.
The survey showed that 67% of homeless women and 54% of men have someone who helps them. With the aim of raising awareness among the population, the foundation has promoted the campaign
Specifically, the campaign talks about the cases of Sebastien, Manuel and Alfredo, three homeless people who explain what it meant to them to have the empathy of shopkeepers, neighbors when they lived on the street. Although they now have stable accommodation, these men have indicated that they return very often to the neighborhood where they lived in the open, because they have generated a network of which they feel part.
According to the survey, in most cases, friends are the ones that offer support to people who live on the streets (64%) and in 27% of situations this role is played by the family. Furthermore, 20% of the people who do have someone say that those who help them are neighbors, merchants and shopkeepers in the neighborhood where they live outdoors.
