Pledge 7B – Barcelona

On 19 January 2019, Barcelona became the seventh city to sign a pledge to the EU Pillar of Social Rights. Deputy Mayor for Social Rights, Laia Ortiz, signed pledges to principle 14 on minimum income and principle 19 on housing and assistance for the homeless.

On housing, Barcelona is committed to:

Improve affordable housing by investing €182.5 million each year in:

• Enlarging the stock of affordable housing with additional 5,337 housing units (3,720 by direct promotion; 867 in delegated promotion and 750 direct purchase from the private market).
• Shifting the model from property to rental by using 80% of affordable housing for rental and 20% for property ownership.
• Direct support for rental to 9,000 beneficiaries in 2019.
• Support for renovations to over 10,000 beneficiaries in 2019.

Combat homelessness by investing €35 million in 2016-2019 in:

• A new shelter for young people aged 18-23.
• A new shelter for homeless people with mental illness.
• Expanding the Housing First programme with additional 50 flats in 2019.
• Labour inclusion programmes to create specific pathways for the integration into the labour market of irregular migrants and reducing their risk of homelessness.
• Creating additional 47 temporary individual housing units in 2019.
• Renovating shelters to improve the living conditions in shelters.
• Increase of 158% the budget for outreach teams to provide social support to homeless people.