The Mortgage Affected Platform occupies the Can Ricard building
Under the cries of ‘homeless people and houses without people’, the Platform for Mortgage Affected Persons occupied the reception of the Can Ricard building, where the Social Services of the City Council are located, this Wednesday morning Sant Feliu With this protest action, the platform denounces the discriminatory dynamics of Social Services and demands a change in their operation in order to guarantee people’s rights (https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos-en -Catalan/).
The demand of the PAH to the City Council of Sant Feliu
The Plataforma d’Afectades per la Hipoteca (PAH) asks the Sant Feliu City Council to recognize the PAH as a valid interlocutor and to establish a dialogue table to deal with housing problems in the city. In addition, the platform requires monthly meetings and an emergency social care service. According to the PAH, these demands have been transferred to the municipal government six months ago, but they have not yet received a response.
The response of Social Services and the town hall
Manolo Cobos, spokesperson for the PAH, assures that people who go to the Social Services of Sant Feliu to ask for help with housing or food receive discriminatory answers. Cobos emphasizes that the fight of the PAH is not against the people who work in the Social Services, but against the lack of resources and the malfunctioning of the services, which cause situations that violate people’s rights. The PAH calls for a change in the operation of Social Services and better attention to the needs of citizens (https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos-en-catala/).
Commitment of the Sant Feliu City Council
After the protest, Laura Bonilla, coordinator of the Social Services area of the Sant Feliu City Council, undertakes to meet the councilors of Housing and Social Services with the Platform of Affected by the Mortgage to establish frameworks action and improve the situation. Bonilla emphasizes that questioning things is the first step to improvement and assures that the City Council is open to dialogue and to taking the necessary measures (https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos-en-catala/ ).
PAH continues its fight
The Plataforma d’Afectades per la Hipoteca leaves the Can Ricard building after the protest, but maintains its determination to continue with the pressure actions until there is a change in the functioning of the Social Services of Sant Feliu. PAH is committed to defending the rights of people affected by the housing crisis and working to guarantee fair and decent access to housing for all (https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de- texts-in-Catalan/).