Shelter / Starting over after homelessnes in Barcelona by Mariona Giner

Starting over after being homel...ence and loneliness.

Starting over after being homeless in Barcelona can take years. Women who have been homeless face social prejudice and judgment on top of physical and emotional scars.
Older women have to face the possibility of being unable to find work because of their age, or that the only jobs available, as cleaners or as carers, are too physically demanding for their own health conditions.
It is 2018, and Elisa visits the apartment that she will move into after over a decade of homelessness. Her two great fears are silence and loneliness.

It is December 2020, and Elisa ...he COVID-19 lockdown.

It is December 2020, and Elisa has been living in her apartment for two years.
She has worked on and off, caring for older people, but became jobless during the COVID-19 lockdown.

It is December 2020, and Elisa ...h plants and her cat.

It is December 2020, and Elisa has been living in her apartment for two years. Slowly, she is building the home that she never had, with plants and her cat.

Social workers and volunteers a...y visit from her social worker.

Social workers and volunteers are key people in the first stages of starting over. Some volunteers drop by for a chat once a week and establish solid friendships, while some social workers often go way beyond their job’s demands, maintaining continuous communication over months and even years, to check in on women who may need to discuss how they are feeling.
Elisa receives a weekly visit from her social worker.

The most important step of all ...lose to her daughter.

The most important step of all usually involves the renewal of family ties. For most women that I have worked with, the milestone that marks permanent change is to establish new and permanent ties with lost sons and daughters.
It is Elisa's greatest wish to become close to her daughter.

Starting over after being homel...st up to a year, but no longer.

Starting over after being homeless in Barcelona can take years. Women who have been homeless face social prejudice and judgment on top of physical and emotional scars. Emergency housing, halfway homes, and long-term housing programs provide the stability that these women need, if only temporarily.
Emergency housing can last up to a year, but no longer.

When I ask women what they fear... weekly get-together.

When I ask women what they fear the most in their new lives, the reply is often ‘the fear of being on my own’, ‘feeling lonely’, ‘silence’ or ‘being alone', all different ways of saying the same thing: we need companionship, to feel part of a social group, to communicate, and to interact with other human beings.
In Barcelona, there are two specific organizations for women only, that provide social activities for those that are victims of violence and who actively use drugs or have done so recently. These organizations also provide health care and harm reduction, as well as providing direct contact for emergency housing.
After sleeping rough for over six months with and abusive partner, Nina chats with other women in similar situations during a weekly get-together.

In Barcelona, there are two spe... first step towards a new life.

In Barcelona, there are two specific organizations for women only, that provide social activities for those that are victims of violence and who actively use drugs or have done so recently. These organizations also provide health care and harm reduction, as well as providing direct contact for emergency housing.
Nina shares a small room as the first step towards a new life.

Social workers and volunteers a...th her social worker.

Social workers and volunteers are key people in the first stages of starting over. Some volunteers drop by for a chat once a week and establish solid friendships, while some social workers often go way beyond their job’s demands, maintaining continuous communication over months and even years, to check in on women who may need to discuss how they are feeling.
Nina decides to check into a mental health clinic with the help of a feminist organization for women who are survivors of violence and drug use and discusses the next steps with her social worker.

In December 2020, Nina has a sm... the rooms next door.

In December 2020, Nina has a small apartment after having moved six times in the past two years from a mental health clinic to different emergency housing. Her situation is still precarious, as the apartment is really an illegal sublet room in a converted dental clinic. There are several other families living in the same situation in the rooms next door.

In December 2020, Nina has a sm...uation in the rooms next door.

In December 2020, Nina has a small apartment after having moved six times in the past two years from a mental health clinic to different emergency housing. Her situation is still precarious, as the apartment is really an illegal sublet room in a converted dental clinic. There are several other families living in the same situation in the rooms next door.

Shelter (2017-2020) describes d...different places and realities.

Shelter (2017-2020) describes destitute women's lives in Barcelona, illustrating situations of homelessness or temporary shelters, focusing on the different places and realities.

Shelter (2017-2020) describes d...o discuss how they are feeling.

Shelter (2017-2020) describes destitute women's lives in Barcelona, illustrating situations of homelessness or temporary shelters, focusing on the different places and realities.
Rosa visits a feminist centre for women who are victims of violence and who consume drugs. She wants to check if she is pregnant.
Social workers and volunteers are key people in the first stages of starting over. Some volunteers drop by for a chat once a week and establish solid friendships, while some social workers often go way beyond their job’s demands, maintaining continuous communication over months and even years, to check in on women who may need to discuss how they are feeling.

Shelter (2017-2020) describes d... clothes and hygiene products.

Shelter (2017-2020) describes destitute women's lives in Barcelona, illustrating situations of homelessness or temporary shelters, focusing on the different places and realities.
Emergency housing goes hand-in-hand with other basic needs such as clothes and hygiene products.

Shelter (2017-2020) describes d...d shoes once a month.

Shelter (2017-2020) describes destitute women's lives in Barcelona, illustrating situations of homelessness or temporary shelters, focusing on the different places and realities.
Emergency housing goes hand-in-hand with other basic needs such as clothes and hygiene products.
The sign explains that people may have access to the following clean clothes: a pair of trousers once a week, two sweaters or jumpers a month, and shoes once a month.

Shelter (2017-2020) describes destitute women's lives in Barcelona, illustrating situations of homelessness or temporary shelters, focusing on the different places and realities.

After her last eviction in 2017...ies finding, or keeping a job.

After her last eviction in 2017, Carmen slept rough on several occasions and lived in several sublet rooms.
In December 2020, she had been living for a year in a small room in which she feels at home, but problems with the owner foretell that she will have to move on soon. However, she has nowhere to go and has great difficulties finding, or keeping a job.

After her last eviction in 2017...ng, or keeping a job.

After her last eviction in 2017, Carmen slept rough on several occasions and lived in several sublet rooms.
In December 2020, she had been living for a year in a small room in which she feels at home, but problems with the owner foretell that she will have to move on soon. However, she has nowhere to go and has great difficulties finding, or keeping a job.

After her last eviction in 2017... the world.

After her last eviction in 2017, Carmen slept rough on several occasions and lived in several sublet rooms.
She visits her parent's tomb on a regular basis. She explains that the cemetery is where she feels at peace with the world.

Virgilina remembers how her hus...s placed in emergency housing.

Virgilina remembers how her husband threw himself on her and bit her face. She escaped and slept rough for two weeks before she was placed in emergency housing.

Virgilina escaped from her viol...new life for herself.

Virgilina escaped from her violent husband and slept rough for two weeks before she was placed in emergency housing.
in 2018 she lived in a small room for a year, surrounded by all her possessions before she finally found a job and moved into a small apartment.
She renewed her relationship with her son and is slowly making a new life for herself.

Starting over after being homel...eptance is a serious challenge.

Starting over after being homeless in Barcelona can take years. Women who have been homeless face social prejudice and judgment on top of physical and emotional scars.
Facing the physical transformation related to natural age processes is difficult enough but for Pilar, who has spent most of her adult life on the street, self-acceptance is a serious challenge.

Pilar goes through a small box ...es and feels safe in.

Pilar goes through a small box of much-loved photographs of long-gone times, places, and people. She lives in a half-way home which she loves and feels safe in.

Shelter (2017-2020) describes destitute women's lives in Barcelona, illustrating situations of homelessness or temporary shelters, focusing on the different places and realities.

Mariona Giner

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