Stage 3 Report- Nadie Sin Hogar and the Fight to End Houselessness in the Greater Madrid Area
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Nadie Sin Hogar and the Fight to End Houselessness in the Greater Madrid Area
Donna Summers II
Long Island University: Global College
Abstract
I studied the Nadie Sin Hogar (NSH) encampment, a movement designed to combat and build awareness for undomiciled people throughout the greater Madrid area of Spain. The terms “experiencing houselessness” and “undomiciled” are used to describe those who experience houselessness and/or seek refuge in uninhabitable spaces. These terms are more politically correct and accurate than “homeless.” NSH resided in the public park of Calle de Prado in Atocha, Madrid, Spain from mid-March to October 4, 2019 where they were evicted by the Spanish government. The encampment was stationed directly in front of the Ministry of Social Policy, between the two most famous Spanish museums: Reina Sofia and the Prado Museum.
This movement was established in response to the Spanish government ignoring
houselessness. Their mission was to collaborate or encourage the Spanish government to provide undomiciled people with adequate housing and job opportunities. As emphasized by academic sources, the rate of undomiciled people rose during the Spanish economic downfall from 2008-2014, which caused banks to collapse and ceased monetary loans, mortgages increased, and employment increased.
In following the movement and its goals, weekly field notes, participant observation, unstructured, and semi structured interviews were done by obtaining assent and informed consent. This research was conducted in Spanish, and translated to English. My results showed that, despite their later eviction, NSH’s demonstrations, activeness, and social media updates have obtained them with several national and international supporters, including the far left Spanish political party, PODEMOS.
Keywords: undomiciled, populations, movements, economic, crisis
Introduction
Nadie Sin Hogar and the Fight to End Houselessness in the Greater Madrid Area
The global issue of poverty has increased the population of undomiciled people. In the global context of houselessness, 100 million people worldwide are experiencing houselessness according to the last global survey done by the United Nations in 2005 (United Nations, 2005, p 6). Aside from undomiciled populations, 1.6 billion people lack adequate housing, which in turn can eventually lead to one experiencing houselessness (Homeless World Cup Foundation, 2019).
In the Spanish context of houselessness, according to the Homeless World Cup Foundation, there are currently 31,000 undomiciled people in Spain (Homeless World Cup Foundation, 2019). In response to the experience of houselessness, the NSH movement emerged to combat and resist houselessness throughout Spain. This particular movement is seen as a local manifestation of undomiciled people who have organized demonstrations and protests in Madrid, Spain. Their perceived philosophy was and continues to be the betterment of undomiciled people who are looking to find stability in housing and job opportunities (Nadie Sin Hogar, n.d.). The NSH movement had been stationed throughout the greater Madrid area until permanently residing in the park of Atocha, Madrid on Calle de Prado for roughly six months, until October 4, 2019, when a police operation evicted the encampment directed by Madrid mayor, Jose Luis Martinez Almeida. The purpose of the eviction was to ensure a more positive aesthetic of the city area as well as addressing sanitary concerns (Roces, 2019).
For years, undomiciled populations have increased throughout the Greater Madrid area, and conservative parties stated its visibility could threaten their economy (Badcock, 2015). Currently, these types of stigmas and misrepresentations of undomiciled groups affect the attitudes people have towards them, which will be explored throughout this report (Barros, Barry, Matanov, Priebe, Schor, Straßmayr, et al, 2012, p. 5). Political and economic opportunity is effects the quality of someone’s life and absences of plausibility have allowed for poverty to increase around the world.
In this study, I analyzed the attitudes towards the NSH movement by its participants, bystanders, municipalities and law enforcement. My research question is: What are the attitudes about the NSH encampment that resided in the greater Madrid area by its participants, bystanders, municipalities and law enforcement. My secondary research questions include: How has the presence of hostile architecture affected undomiciled people; had the public of the greater Madrid area shown support for the NSH encampment before their eviction; what were some of the major causes of houselessness in Madrid, Spain? In this research study, I evaluated the attitudes from the four different groups towards the NSH movement and its eviction from the encampment from Atocha, Madrid. This case study uses peer-reviewed sources from researchers of the University of Alcala, Chile, and Madrid and non peer-reviewed sources from the European Commission and other popular NGOs such as Caritas and European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA). Other reports such as newspaper articles, Twitter videos, and statistical reports have been evaluated in order to support and further emphasize my research findings.
Literature Review
My literature review is structured similarly to that of the Findings section regarding the attitudes of participants and bystanders; however, there weren’t any academic journals that referenced the interactions between law enforcement and municipalities towards undomiciled groups. Other references such as interviews and news articles are discussed in the Findings section.
Attributions of Undomiciled People
Throughout this report I used statistics from FEANTSA to show the population of undomiciled people and the various attributions of houselessness as contextual evidence. The reports by FEANTSA (2017) conducted two surveys on undomiciled people and the attributions of houselessness. FEANTSA’s findings suggest that the increase of undomiciled people have been caused by the increase of mortgages, and the decrease of employment, which is supported by academic journals emphasizing the factual attributions instead of public misconceptions (Petit, Loubiere, Tinland, Moniz, p.3, 2019). This is important and contextual knowledge for this specific research of NSH that consisted of 120 participants and attitudes (2017). In response to the undomiciled populations, the Spanish government adopted a plan called the “Comprehensive National Homelessness Strategy 2015-2020.” The objectives of this strategy were to prevent and protect, raise awareness, and improve the informational and public services rendered to undomiciled people (FEANTSA, 2017).
Attitudes of NSH Participants
On an academic journal of overall happiness amongst undomiciled groups, about half of the undomiciled people in Madrid stated they were happy, while one in five described their lives and experiences to be content- neither happy nor unhappy ( Guillen, Panadero,Vazquez, 2015, p. 324-330). Another academic journal explored the most stressful experiences for undomiciled people. Their findings suggested that the most primal periods for stressful events were before and during their transition into houselessness. Throughout their studies, common themes of stressful life events occurred such as economic crises, feelings of abandonment, and health which was evident throughout my observations (Munoz, Vazquez, Bermejo, Vazquez, 1999, p. 73-87).
After the eviction of NSH, they remained active via social media and technology. NSH was able to take their movement to a social media audience on Twitter. Even after their eviction, they were able to update their supporters of how they planned to continue with the movement. As reported in an academic journal of technology within undomiciled groups, the presence of it can lessen the feelings or occurrences of social exclusion and NSH resonated with this as they kept an active social media presence (Diaz-Pescador, Martin, Panadero, and Vazquez, , 2015, p. 338-347).
Bystander Attitudes
In regards to bystander attitudes, the health professionals did not fully recognize the social exclusion and marginalization of undomiciled people. In a study about the general European health care systems, it stated that there was a common misconception that those in need of these services should be vocal and honest, while disregarding the fact that they are marginalized. Most health care services require documentation that several undomiciled people do not have such as birth certificates, taxpayer information, resulting in medical exclusion (Barros, Barry, Matanov, Priebe, Schor 2012 p.1-5).
Based on an academic journal about the Euopean perceptions towards undomiciled, many European countries have established policies that reduce the sight of undomiciled people in public instead of reducing the causes and factual attributions of it which is synonymous to how the Spanish government interacted with the NSH movement (Peiti, Loubiere, Tinland, Vargas-Moniz, Manning, 2019, p. 3-6). In regards to reactions to undomiciled groups, several academic sources emphasized the common stigma that undomiciled groups negatively impact the aesthetics of neighborhoods and public spaces (Loubiere, Manning, Peiti, Tinland, Vargas-Moniz, et al p. 3-6, 2019). In comparison to this study, researchers, Loubiere et al (2017) explored the public perceptions of undomiciled groups via a national telephone survey of European Citizens (p. 4-8). In the results analysis of this study, attitudes towards undomiciled groups in Spain consisted of people saying that the government should have this responsibility, but that government spending on these programs was insufficient. This particular study highlights how many are not conscious about the attributions of undomiciled groups nor the possibilities of eradicating houselessness. (Peiti et al, p. 9, 2019).
Methodology
For the purpose of this research, weekly field notes were taken, along with the method of unstructured and semi structured interviews conducted for a qualitative notion, and responses were transcribed then translated to English. This research is being conducted through participant observations of NSH in the Greater Madrid Area of major plazas: Atocha, Sol, and Benavente. For the purposes of field notes, interviews, and observations, I visited Atocha, Madrid and conducted my research independently with NSH participants and others who negatively and positively interacted with them. Undomiciled groups are a vulnerable population; however I was given permission by my professor to interview only active members/participants of NSH, and non-affiliated undomiciled people were not interviewed nor approached. Only the identities and names of interviewed of NSH were changed to ensure anonymity.
Within the interviewing process, my participants were informed of the research topic ,who their responses will be shared with, and that it would be recorded. The consent form was presented to participants in Spanish or their native tongue. After the interview ended, the dialogue was transcribed into Spanish, then translated into English. During unstructured interviews, questions were not prepped and semi-structured interview questions were mentally prepped rather than formally prepared. However there are open-ended questions that led to a discussion in some contexts; both methods helped to understand other perspectives and life stories.
Field notes are assisted by pictures that hide all faces and animated sketches of visited areas. These field notes will be frequently posted onto a research blog, “ArtisiticGlobalResearch.wordpress.com.” Field notes will then be coded by a descriptive coding method, where groups are developed after common trends such as groups interviewed and analyzed. Coding was chosen as a method of analysis, because it allows for my notes to go in order, even within a chronological context since I am following the space of NSH through a physical and online format. Field notes in general are a great way to note the occurences in surrounding areas, how people feel, and the behaviors of people, and this process alone keeps me present to accurately record my work. This research was conducted from mid-September to November 20, 2019.
Ethics
During my research, I did not interview persons younger than age 18. I have received assent and informed consent via signed consent forms from my research participants. In order to avoid trauma, I do not ask invasive or personal questions, and I disclose the questions before we begin interviewing. I asked each of my participants if I could explain to them my research topic and after they agreed, I informed them of the spanish consent form, and once they sign it, I begin the interview. I have had bias as a researcher, because after spending time with the NSH movement, I came to support them and once they were evicted, I became bias towards the Spanish government.
Findings
Contextual knowledge for why and how houselessness is established and maintained was crucial to understanding the various attitudes of NSH from their participants, bystanders, law enforcement, and municipalities. I had the opportunity to speak to many, as well as explore the NSH social media platforms to be a present witness, despite their eviction. My research question continuously evolved as I found new information and research participants. My finding sections have been divided into the following themes: attitudes of participants, bystanders, municipalities, and law enforcement. To restate, the identities of NSH participants who were interviewed have been changed.
Attitudes of Participants:
The NSH movement is an encampment that was based throughout the Greater Madrid Area; however they resided in the park on Calle de Prado in Atocha, Madrid in front of the Ministry of Social Policy for roughly six months beginning in March, respectively. The NSH community had their own communal kitchen with pots, pans, and other kitchenware, and their homes were either tents or other materials that could build shelters. According to a NSH participant, there were about 130 participants and their nationalities included Columbian, Paraguayans, Uruguayans, Bosnians, and Italians (D, personal communication, September 21, 2019).
| The official entrance of NSH on in the public park of Calle de Prado in Madrid, Spain. |
Their attitudes are clearly expressed through their dictions on posters, flyers, and signs outside of their encampment. Another NSH member, Michel, gave me a tour of the community. At the main entrance of the encampment, a previous sign read “We are homeless. We are people. We have right to be protected. Please Support” while another stated “El Gobierno Viola La Constitución,” meaning: “The government violates the constitution.” (Michel, personal communication, September 27, 2019). Their choice in adding bilingualism to their platform suggests they wanted to reach other demographics in Spain, such as English speakers or North American tourists. Through their diction, there is a clear demand for action in eradicating houselessness.
| The sign says “El gobierno viola la constitución,” insinuating that the government and state of Madrid is not aiding in poverty or people without homes (i.e. undomiciled). |
| The first sign that caught my attention made by the NSH movement |
After reading my academic journals, I realized that the perceptions stated by my research participants were supported by actual surveys and previous case studies. About half of the undomiciled people in Madrid stated they were happy which was emphasized and supported by my research participants and observations of laughter and constant smiles. This finding highlights my earlier observation that many NSH participants built a home for themselves within the NSH community, such as Michel (Michel, personal communication, September 27 2019). During interviews with NSH participants, each person was given a different name in order to protect their identity. D was the first interviewed participant of NSH, and he stated that all of the tents throughout the encampment were green to show unity and equality amongst themselves. He continued by stating that the police had not bothered them within the 6 month stay they had then (D, personal communication, September 21, 2019). While speaking to a NSH participant, whose identity has been changed, his thoughts of why Spain had a high rate of undomiciled people attributed it to the economic crisis from 2007. During that crisis, mortgage costs increased while employment decreased, which supported previously used academic sources (D, personal communication, 2019). His statement is supported by an academic journal that explored the differences in attributions of houselessness. There was a common trend that the main attributes of experiencing houselessness were increased mortgages and a decline in employment.
| Here is a row of green and make-shift tents belonging to NSH participants |
Before their eviction, NSH was active on social media, election campaigns, and even protests throughout the greater Madrid Area. Their attitudes towards the movement were goal oriented. According to three NSH participants, their goals were to capture the attention of the Spanish government and work together to combat houselessness, and to provide jobs and housing to current undomiciled people (D & other anonymous NSH members, personal communication, September 2019). During the September 27th, Climate Change protest, NSH took advantage of the free publicity, and they set out a booth, chairs, and a table with information about the movement. While protestors came to speak to them, I spoke to D once again about his views on the march. He stated that he couldn’t think about anything besides his current living experience.
The NSH tone shifted after the brutal and violent eviction on the early morning of October 4, 2019. NSH participants were blind-sided by the random eviction, ordered by the mayor of Madrid. I witnessed the eviction through their official Twitter account, @Nadie_SinHogar. During the eviction, law enforcement took away tents, signs, and kitchenware which was the property of certain individuals. In the video, the man who was recording repeatedly said “Respectan los propiedad privados!,” translation: “Respect private property.” The NSH participants crowded the empty streets and began chanting “Los Derechos! Los Derechos,” translation “The rights, the rights.” The activism throughout the community emphasizes their mission of effective change that was lowered by strength. The response of NSH implies how individuals could have made a home for themselves in their small community (Nadie Sin Hogar, 2019). Through their Twitter account, NSH was clearly devastated after the eviction and this is seen through their twitter stating: Hundreds of riot police are evicting the campus… they violate our rights, throw our houses and documentation in the trash, threaten us not to record. In Madrid, the minimum human rights are not met” (Nadie Sin Hogar, 2019).
NSH spokesman, Mikky Carrera responded after the eviction by stating “We do not contemplate moving the claim to another place… the most suitable place is in front of the ministry, which is the one that articulates the state policies,” and this shows their resilience and unity as a movement (Nadie Sin Hogar, 2019). NSH’s twitter account also responded after the eviction, which has been translated. They stated “At the moment we are reorganizing ourselves. After the eviction they dispersed us to different reception centers (and other people stay on the street)… thanks for supporting” (Nadie Sin Hogar., 2019).
Despite the eviction and other hardships, the NSH movement remains active today. NSH made attempts to reclaim the area of the previous encampment; however they were immediately required to leave by police without any warrants or documents. Then, on November 13, 2019, NSH spokesman Miguel Carrera Garcia, sent a decree to presidents of the political party, PSOE. In the decree, Garcia is requesting them to commit to the approval of the NSH decree as one of the first actions of the new progressive government.The ambitious and passions of the NSH movement remains active, and although they continue to face obstacles, they are well equipped with legal knowledge, support, and opportunity to continue to thrive for the betterment of undomiciled people, resulting in a resilient and hopeful attitude towards their movement.
| Here is a photo of the Spanish version of the Decree letter written by NSH spokesman, Miguel Carrera Garcia. |
| This is a photo of the letters that were being mailed to PSOE and PODEMOS to push their initiative of effective change for NSH |
Bystander Attitudes
Bystanders of the NSH movement include all peoples surrounding or aware of the encampment, such as locals, restaurant personnel, and tourists.
During the Climate Change protests of September 27, 2019, NSH displayed different awareness signs for their movement, which attracted people to come by and inquire. The rhetoric of NSH was vibrating and encouraged people to speak to them. Several protestors from all ages came to speak to two men who were sitting under the booth. Protesters were signing up for newsletters via social media and email and their support log that was similar to a petition they would be sending to the government listing their supporters for the cause. Under the table under the booth, NSH put out a box to accept money and coins, and after about 10 minutes, the box was half full, which showed the support of bystanders. During the march, I headed over to speak to other members of NSH, and one participant explained to me that the only way they could buy or obtain food was by the support of locals or bystanders. According to him, people would donate food, money, and cooking materials to the movement, and that was a clear indication that they did have support and those rallying behind them (Michel, personal communication, 2019).
On October 19, 2019 after the eviction of NSH, I spoke to other protestors of the Anti-Fascism march in Atocha, Madrid. I spoke to a female research student, Maria, about her knowledge of NSH and the attributions of houselessness. She stated that she knew NSH and they were violently forced out from the park of Calle de Prado. She continued by stating she supported them, and there is a huge problem with the economy and adequate housing. Her perceived attributes of houslessness were that mortgages became abusive due to their increased costs, unemployment, and there’s a lack of social services that have created a signalized problem (Maria, personal communication, 2019). In her support of NSH, she emphasized that the cycle of houselessness is almost impossible to break. She continued by stating that people need a place to sleep, a home and then work which will eventually aid them into reintegrating into society. There seemed to be disapproval in her tone as to how NSH was treated by the government when she stated that the upcoming change of the government encouraged the eviction although NSH participants weren’t given a Plan B nor aid (Maria, personal communication, 2019).
After speaking to the research student, I spoke to a cafe waiter from the Dominican Republic across the street who supported the movement, and suggested that he understood the concept of poverty. After asking him if he was aware of the NSH eviction he stated that the police forcibly removed the people and their property around 4AM and used force to get them to cooperate and remove themselves. He described it as a violent and heartbreaking occurrence (Roberto, personal communication, October 7, 2019)
I interviewed locals of Alcala de Henares about their perceptions and thoughts of the NSH movement, and they were not familiar with it, but mentioned how undomiciled people are visible in Alcala, specifically Calle Mayor. I spoke to two individuals living in Alcala de Henares, Giovanna Arecchi and Professor Roberto Sardinero who were both unfamiliar with the movement. Roberto saw NSH on local news, yet he did not know it was a specific movement (Sardinero, personal communication, November 11, 2019). They both gave their perceived attributions of houselessness in Spain stating it was due to unemployment, increased mortgage prices, and a lack of government and bank assistance. Giovanna stated that she saw more undomiciled people in the United States versus in Spain (Arecchi, personal communication, November 11, 2019). Sardinero (November 11, 2019), specifically gave his support for the NSH movement, and acknowledged that even immigrants, who made up a significant portion of NSH, should also receive every right that a Spaniard has, including adequate housing and job opportunities (Sardinero, personal communication, November 11, 2019). The overall attitudes towards this movement were positive and hopeful from locals of Madrid and Alcalá de Henares.
Government Attitudes
Throughout Western countries such as Spain and the United States, a new concept has emerged called “anti-homeless” architecture where governments implement public architecture that rejects undomiciled people from resting on it for a substantial amount of time. It is usually described as “disguised as useful features for pedestrians, but it secretly doubles up as a defense against rough sleepers” (Phil, 2018). After showing several photos (2018) of what this looks like, the city created benches with anti-rainwater features and sharp and irregular angles to prevent sleeping on it. As stated earlier, within the NSH movement, there were minorities and ethnic groups and on a specific note, it was reported that a “[Y]oung- Saharan man used to sleep in an… entrance… he was there for months…” and today bars were added to the entrance which has now become a barricade to those who can not enter (Phil). The following photos were taken by me.
| Despite the bench not having barriers or dividers, the width is very small so it would be difficult to lie here overnight or for a long period of time. |
| Instead of being a long bench, this seating area was designed to be in threes so lounging could not take place. |
| This bus stop has a divider towards the middle of the bench, so no one can sleep there. During my interview, the interviewee mentioned that shelters for undomiciled peoples cannot house everyone, so sometimes people must sleep in tents or the ground |
Places where undomiciled people have reportedly spent the most time include bus stops, entrances, benches, and more have now adopted the “anti-homeless” concept. Bars, dividers, concrete flower pots, and many more have been adopted on different properties and public spaces to ensure that undomiciled people cannot use it as a resting area. Undomiciled people were originally turning to public spaces for refuge due to shelters being overcrowded by hundreds. Phil states that “State- run homeless shelters have beds for around 650 people per night… it’d be providing an additional 539 beds per night during the winter months” (2018). The incorporation of hostile architecture that is targeted towards undomiciled populations emphasizes how government and the city does not want undomiciled populations to continue being visible, rather invisible from the public eye. Phil then mentioned that some undomiciled people couch-surf, and although this particular concept wasn’t explored in this research, there is a statistical trend that there is a rise in social exclusion, mental disorders, and other physical ailments that could prevent the options of couch-surfing. Many turned to public streets after being turned away from state-run shelters and hostile architecture which suggests that the government is not including undomiciled people within the resources of the government. In relation to hostile architecture, the mayor of Madrid Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida ordered the eviction of NSH from the public park of Calle de Prado. Law enforcement, a governmental driven institution also displays hostile responses to undocmiled people which is explored more in-depthly in the next section. As an overall evaluation, the Spanish government and city of Madrid have only carried out neglectful responses to the large undomiciled populations.
Law enforcement Attitudes
Law enforcement is present throughout Madrid, and are likely to be seen on every street corner. This could be due to the large population of tourists and tourist attractions. During this study, I noticed that public Law enforcement was likely to have automatic weaponry. While speaking to several police officers on Calle de Prado, they all held semi-automatic weapons, which is parallel to the concept of law enforcement becoming militarized throughout the world.
However, despite their intimidation, their insight was valuable to this research. Two police officers (October 7 2019) with their fingers on their triggers stated the entire movement was a lie, hence why they were removed from the public space (Two officers, personal communication, October 7, 2019). One police officers sighed loudly and encouraged me to stop researching the movement, insinuating I was wasting my time. Both responses was a clear indication that they did not support or were in favor of NSH. After speaking to the police on one side of the park, I walked over to a large group of officers, possibly 12 to be specific.
I asked the only officer who did not have a semi-automatic weapon, because it truly was frightening. As I began walking to one officer, he immediately put his hand on his gun. I proceeded to ask him what happened to the encampment and what his thoughts were. He refused to answer any of my questions and told me that I should not ask about them anymore, specifically due to their now absence. After speaking to public law enforcement, I spoke to a security guard working for the Ministry of Social Policy. She supported the responses of the police officers. She went more in depth about her perceived ideas as to why the NSH encampment was demonstrating (Security guard, personal communication, October 7, 2019).
She stated that NSH was only demonstrating in order to manipulate the government into giving them money. Then, she emphasized that only 15-20% of the movement were actually undomiciled people, which basically coincides with the police saying that the movement was a lie (Security guard, personal communication, October 7 2019) Instead, they were people trying to get free and better housing that the government could provide. Her statements confirmed an overarching attitude of the NSH movement by law enforcement. According to all conversations with law enforcement and public security, they did not support the NSH movement at all.
Law enforcement and the government have similar attitudes, possibly due to how law enforcement carries out the duties required by the government. According to the official Twitter account of NSH, @Nadie_SinHogar, on October 4, 2019, mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida called for a public eviction of the encampment. The 120 petitions by NSH were sent to the registry of Madrid, but each one was ignored. The eviction called by the government consisted of 94 municipal agents and 50 national preventive agents (Roces, p.1, 2019). Mayor Almeida stated that the movement was done illegally and many were claiming a false sense of “homelessness.” He continued by stating that “The eviction is an example of coordination between administrations to guarantee security in our city,” which implies that the NSH movement was dangerous or threatening to the city (Roces, p. 1, 2019).
Referenced in Appendix B.
| Local police officers intimidated NSH participants into leaving the park again after the eviction; however during my interviews with police, many said they did not know the NSH movement, despite the few who told me their opinions. |
During the November 2019 Spanish elections, conservative parties rose significantly in the polls, whereas liberal parties stayed leveled. However, the PODEMOS liberal party showed their support for NSH via a twitter post. So, NSH sent decree letters to PODEMOS and PSOE to encourage them to comply with the new agreement created by NSH which essentially provides adequate housing and job opportunities (Nadie Sin Hogar 2019).
Discussion
My discoveries throughout this research were linear and chronological, because the undomiciled populations are results of cause and effect. After the Spanish economic crisis, there was an immediate effect of increased unemployment and mortgage costs, and in turn it shifted the economic stability of Spanish citizens, resulting in a rise of impoverished and undomiciled communities and this was supported by various academic journals and personal interviews. Primarily, I focused on interviews and academic sources to fuel answers, revelations, and anything informative that would support what was visibly obvious in Madrid, Spain.
My literature analysis focused on the different aspects of experiencing houselessness which included attributions, consequences, and attitudes. My academic sources used in this report were done by researchers from the University of Alcala and Madrid, which meant there was sufficient evidence of houselessness, and coincidentally NSH emerged shortly thereafter, in the early half of 2019. My interviews were particularly informative, because it showed the consciousness that people had about the economic crisis as well as its catapulting consequences. Understanding the economic crisis of 2008 was imperative to follow the timeline of NSH, because many of the NSH participants were undomiciled on and off for years preceding the economic downfall.
The concept of social exclusion was another important factor of this research, as it is a more scientifically based phenomenon that happens to be discriminatory. In turn, NSH planted themselves directly in front of the Municipality to demonstrate that they were the effects of the crisis, and as stated before, their prime goal was to have adequate housing and employment. A clear aspect of social exclusion was the adoption of hostile architecture and the public ignoring
ignoring NSH or non-affiliated undomiciled people as they sat demonstrating or asked for monetary aid. The linear path I took in this research was the constant analysis of the “what’s next” aspect of my research. After social exclusion, physical and mental health dangers arise
to uninhabitable living conditions, and it remains a cycle to the point where even if the municipality provided adequate housing and employment, re-integrating into society is a challenge in itself.
Conclusion
NSH was the first mass movement driven by a Spanish undomiciled group. It was tactfully and strategically organized, which shows its urgency, despite demoralizing responses from nonsupporters. To re-emphasize the UN stated there are 100 million undomiciled people worldwide, but 1 person is one too many and 100 million is simply unprecedented (United Nations, 2005, p 6). This global trend highlights an internal struggle of political and economic systems, which should bring the rest of the population to be critical of a world where this is possible. Several of my research participants mentioned the importance of voting for political officials who emphasize this issue and have put it on there political agenda, and I could not agree with them more. There were no academic sources of how municipalities and law enforcement interact with undomiciled people, which is frightening due to their bureaucratic and authoritative positions.
From my own observations, the current political party, PSOE, did not address or acknowledge the NSH movement, despite there 120 delivered petitions to them and Madrid municipalities. However, undomiciled groups remain one of the most marginalized and discriminated groups throughout most social systems. This research was important, because social exclusion physically and directly threatens their livelihood at an alarming rate. This type of economic and social inequality maintains houselessness throughout the world, and this research emphasized how global this issue really is. In turn, all societal members have to advocate and challenge their government for their undomiciled peers, in order to eradicate houselessness all togehter.
References
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Nadie Sin Hogar. (2019, October 6). ️ Ayer, despues de la #TremendaManiVivienda convocada por @AlertaDesahucio, la policia municipal de #Madrid volvió a actuar con violencia contra el #derecho de Manifestación de las personas #sinhogar, destrozando 1 tienda de campaña, coaccionandonos para que renunciasemos. pic.twitter.com/aqfEWoYN6J. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/Nadie_SinHogar/status/1180801074967535618.
Nadie Sin Hogar (2019, November 13). Movimiento Nadie Sin Hogar (@Nadie_SinHogar). Retrieved from https://twitter.com/Nadie_SinHogar.
Nadie Sin Hogar (2019). Movimiento Nadie Sin Hogar. Retrieved from http://www.nadiesinhogar.info
Nadie Sin Hogar (2019, November 13). @Nadie_SinHogar entrega una carta a PSOE y PODEMOS dirigida a Sanchez e Iglesias pidiendoles que se comprometan con la aprobación del #DecretoNadieSinHogar como una de las primeras acciones del nuevo #GobiernoProgresista que han acordado. #PSOEPodemos #PedroyPabloARV #13Nov pic.twitter.com/xvwpZuiXbT. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/Nadie_SinHogar/status/1194693786808520704.
Panadero, S., Guillén, A. I., & Vázquez, J. J. (2015). Happiness on the street: Overall happiness among homeless people in Madrid (Spain). American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 85(4), 324–330. doi: 10.1037/ort0000080
Petit, J., Loubiere, S., Tinland, A., Vargas-Moniz, M., Spinnewijn, F., Manning, R., … Auquier, P. (2019). European public perceptions of homelessness: A knowledge, attitudes and practices survey. Plos One, 14(9). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221896
Phil, Clare, & Marty. (2019, September 18). Secrets of the streets: Madrid’s anti-homeless architecture. Retrieved from https://madridnofrills.com/hidden-in-plain-sight-madrids-anti-homeless-architecture/.
Priebe, S., Matanov, A., Schor, R., Straßmayr, C., Barros, H., Barry, M. M., … Gaddini, A. (2012). Good practice in mental health care for socially marginalised groups in Europe: a qualitative study of expert views in 14 countries. BMC Public Health, 12(1). doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-248
Roces, P. R. (2019, October 4). Desalojan la acampada de ‘sin techo’ en el Paseo del Prado y estos anuncian que volver. Retrieved from https://www.elmundo.es/madrid/2019/10/04/5d96f609fdddff0a078b4629.html.
The Changing Profiles of Homeless People – Homelessness in the Written Press: a Discourse Analysis (2004). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.feantsaresearch.org/en/other-observatory-publications/2004/11/25/the-changing-profiles-of-homeless-people?bcParent=766.
United Nations (2005). Report of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living. Retrieved From https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G05/117/55/PDF/G0511755.pdf?OpenElement
Vázquez, J. J., Panadero, S., Martín, R., & Diaz-Pescador, M. D. V. (2015). Access To New Information And Communication Technologies Among Homeless People In Madrid (Spain). Journal of Community Psychology, 43(3), 338–347. doi: 10.1002/jcop.21682
Vázquez, J. J., Panadero, S., & Zúñiga, C. (2017). Actors, observers, and causal attributions of homelessness: Differences in attribution for the causes of homelessness among domiciled and homeless people in Madrid (Spain). American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 87(1), 15–22. doi: 10.1037/ort0000130
Appendix A
Vázquez, J. J., Panadero, S., & Zúñiga, C. (2017). Actors, observers, and causal attributions of homelessness: Differences in attribution for the causes of homelessness among domiciled and homeless people in Madrid (Spain). American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 87(1), 15–22. doi: 10.1037/ort0000130
This particular document (Vazquez, Panadero, Zuniga, 2017, p.15-22) analyses the differences in attributions of houselessness from the perspectives of three groups: undomiciled, domiciled, and at risk groups of houslessness. From previous academic and statistical sources, there is common knowledge being that the main attributions of houselessness are increased mortgages and a decrease in employment. According to this review, the Spanish National Statistics Institute has recorded the houseless population in Spain to be less than what NGOs have recorded. Here continues the narrative that there is not a consensus between the government or those who work for the government and NGOs. This document continues by emphasizing how difficult it is for undomiciled people to reintegrate into society after their situations have changed for the better. Over the course of experiencing houselessness, statistically, there is a rise in social exclusion, mental health disorders, and other physical ailments. The document continues by stating the assumed attributions of houselessness, which has been vital information for my research because I witness the perspectives and biases others have towards this community. This document references three researchers: Weiner, Osborne, and Rudolph, in regards to their research findings stating that the main perceived causes of poverty include excessive consumption of alcohol and drugs, laziness, low wages, bad luck, etc. It was surprising to hear this from intellectually and academically minded people, because it’s easier to push the problem onto victims of wrong doings, than look closer into society and asses the real problems we as a society have caused. According to this document, middle and higher social groups who are not at risk of poverty attribute poverty to individualistic causes. In this document, the authors conducted a survey by asking the three groups that were mentioned earlier. They asked these groups on whether they attributed their situations to ways of themselves or those of society, and most said that it was actually their own personal faults. This was astonishing considering the fact that Spain has been recovering from an economic crisis that caused the lack of employment, yet the cost of living remained the same. According to this document, this type of mentality is called the “self-serving bias,” meaning that people take personal responsibility for their desirable outcomes, yet externalize responsibility for their undesirable outcomes. I thought this was unfortunate, because the debilitating issues of the Spanish government and economy is being masked instead of addresses.
Priebe, S., Matanov, A., Schor, R., Straßmayr, C., Barros, H., Barry, M. M., … Gaddini, A. (2012). Good practice in mental health care for socially marginalised groups in Europe: a qualitative study of expert views in 14 countries. BMC Public Health, 12(1). doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-248
This article (Priebe, Matanov, Schor, Barros, Barry, 2012 p.1-5) has been provided by BMC Public Health, and the study was part of the PROMO Project that was funded by the European Commission from 2007-2010. This study was done in 14 countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Semi-structured interviews were done and transcribed, while data was analyzed by coding. In total, about 162 participants were used in the interviewing and surveying portion of the study, respectively. Most of the participants in this study worked in the healthcare field, ranging from psychiatrists to nurses. Throughout this study, topics of socially marginalized groups and their access to health care is discussed. According to the document, the concept of social marginalization is connected to social exclusion and economic marginalization; however, its referred to as isolation or ones inability to participate in society. In 2011, the European Commission “promotes the values of university, access to good quality care, equity and solidarity and is committed to reducing health inequalities” as stated in the document. As the study continued, there was a common misconception that those in need of health care services should be very vocal and honest, however this is not the case. Since undomiciled people fall under the category of “marginalized,” they have been subjected to inequality within the realm of healthcare services. Now, most health care services require documentation such as birth certificates, taxpayer information, ID, etc. The health care system had not been geared towards aiding marginalized groups, but with a positive change, there could be health care equality. In reference to undomiciled people, based off of other sources, mental health and sexually transmitted diseases are prevalent. However, the European Commission understands the need for health care for all, and this could decrease the amount of issues associated with houselessness, which could also aid in reintegrating into society.
Munoz, M., VaZquez, C., Bermejo, M., & VaZquez, J. J. (1999). Stressful life events among homeless people: Quantity, types, timing, and perceived causality. Journal of Community Psychology, 27(1), 73–87. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1520-6629(199901)27:1<73::aid-jcop5>3.0.co;2-#
This study (Munoz, Vazquez, Bermejo, Vazquez, 1999, p. 73-87) was conducted by 4 researchers from the University Complutense of Madrid. This topic explores the stressful life events of undomiciled people throughout Madrid, Spain. Field and statistical studies were used as the methodology. The demographic of those who participated include the middle aged males who were not working and had a low level of education, and most of those interviewed had been undomiciled for about a year. The most primal periods for stressful events that most participants stated were before and during their transition into experiencing houselessness. Throughout their studies, common themes of stressful life events occurred such as economic crises, feelings of abandonment, health and family problems, etc. The study emphasizes how according to their participants, most stated that their most stressful life experiences were before and during transition into houselessness, instead of after they became undomiciled. That particular section of the study was helpful in noticing and realizing the causes and effects of the state of houselessness. Specific to Spain, few of their participants within the Spanish context had a history of being institutionalized, whether it was for a long period of time or shorter, such as less than 6 months. The study states that the stressful life events mentioned by their participants can be what causes and maintains houselessness which makes sense after several academic sources have analyzed the economic crisis as the main culprit to Spanish undomiciled groups.
Petit, J., Loubiere, S., Tinland, A., Vargas-Moniz, M., Spinnewijn, F., Manning, R., … Auquier, P. (2019). European public perceptions of homelessness: A knowledge, attitudes and practices survey. Plos One, 14(9). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221896
This study (Peiti, Loubiere, Tinland, Vargas-Moniz, Manning, 2019, p. 3-6) uses surveys and participant interviews in order to analyze the public perceptions of undomiciled people. This study was conducted by a national telephone survey of European citizens in 2017, and they were asked questions about their own perceptions of houselessness. As other articles and this one have stated, experiencing houselessness is the period in one’s life that has a higher rate of potential physical and mental health risks. In the past, there has been a common trend in countries not providing adequate health care for marginalized communities. Also, as seen in this article and throughout Spain, houselessness is very obvious and visible, meaning that there are undomiciled groups who reside in the street or in public areas. According to the document, many European countries have established policies that reduce the sight of undomiciled people in public instead of reducing the causes and factual attributions of it. Within my own research, I explored the large presence of immigrants within the NSH, and in this study, the researchers stated that due to the European migrant crisis, there are new policies in order to “alleviate” undomiciled groups in Europe. In Spain, many people have lost their homes due to the lack of economic resources, and this study states many European countries want to establish/adopt housing-led programs. Several of the research participants alluded to how houslessness impacts the aesthetics of neighborhoods and public places. Ironically, one of the many methods used by NSH was to establish their encampments between the Prado and Reina Sofia museums in order to get the attention of city councils and the Ministry of Social Policy. In the results analysis of this study, attitudes towards undomiciled groups in Spain consisted of people saying that the government should have this responsibility but that government spending on these programs were insufficient.
Panadero, S., Guillén, A. I., & Vázquez, J. J. (2015). Happiness on the street: Overall happiness among homeless people in Madrid (Spain). American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 85(4), 324–330. doi: 10.1037/ort0000080
This study (Panadero, Guillen, Vazquez, 2015, p. 324-330) was conducted by three researchers, two being from the University Complutense of Madrid and the other being from the University of Alcala. This study was published by the Journal of Orthopsychiatry. The study used a hypothesized model of overall happiness among undomiciled groups throughout Madrid, Spain. They did structured interviews a representative samples of adults who were experiencing houselessness. According to the report, about half of the undomiciled people in Madrid stated they were happy. As the document continues, it states that a fifth of the population lives below the poverty level and that the lack of materialism in one’s life can contribute to psychological mishaps, two aspects that undomiciled people face. Undomiciled people and the idea of extreme poverty usually constitute the ideas of depression, unhappiness, a plethora of health problems, and the list goes on. In this study, after the analysis of their survey results, fewer than half the undomiciled people in Madrid are happy, while one in five describe their lives and experiences to be content- neither happy nor unhappy. As with most philosophies in life, the presence or amount of money is not to guarantee the happiness of someone, instead when people are experiencing houselessness, extreme poverty, or even unemployment, there seems to be other aspects of life that provide happiness and hope for the future.
Vázquez, J. J., Panadero, S., Martín, R., & Diaz-Pescador, M. D. V. (2015). Access To New Information And Communication Technologies Among Homeless People In Madrid (Spain). Journal of Community Psychology, 43(3), 338–347. doi: 10.1002/jcop.21682
This study (Vazquez, Panadero, Martin, and Diaz-Pescador, 2015, p. 338-347) was conducted by researchers from the Unvities of Madrid and Alcala. This purpose of this study was to analysis the present of technology within undomiciled groups in Madrid, Spain. In regards to this study, technology encampesses the idea of social media such as email, networks, internet, ect. The research was conducted with 188 adults who were experiencing houselessness, and informed consent and anonymity were used as well. According to this research study, mobile phones are highly used and others use computers, internet, and even email. I found this article particularly interesting, because my area of study is the NSH movement and they have been very active on social media, and other movements similar to NSH have used platforms such as Twitter and Instagram as their method of communication. According to the document, one living without technology is a former of social exclusion. This study emphasizes that the internet serves many purposes, some being that technology can offer social support, advocacy, and create opportunities in online education. Additionally, the results of the survey highlight the differentiating factors of who is more likely to have access to technology. For instance, if one is younger or has more education then they are more likely to be able to access and navigate technology. Once NSH was evicted from the public spaces of Madrid, I was able to reach them via Twitter, and they are currently still using that platform for awareness and advocacy.
Fall Research Portfolio 