The Generalitat and the City Council of Barcelona have reached a preliminary agreement with the owners to acquire the property at number 74 Llenguadoc Street, where 32 people live, six of whom are minors. The TSJC has suspended the eviction that was scheduled for this Wednesday.
The eviction of the block at number 74 Llenguadoc Street, in the Barcelona district of Sant Andreu, was suspended this Wednesday at 19:45 after the Government of Catalonia and the City Council of Barcelona reached a preliminary agreement with the owners to purchase the building. The operation will be financed from the Emergency Housing Fund that the president of the Government, Salvador Illa, announced last week during the General Policy Debate in the Parliament.
The announcement was made in the afternoon by the Deputy Mayor for Economy, Housing, Finance and Tourism, Jordi Valls, and the Secretary for Housing of the Generalitat, Lídia Guillén. Valls described the operation as a "complex operation that is still ongoing" and attributed part of the outcome to the pressure from residents and activists gathered outside the building since early morning.
Minutes later, the High Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) announced the suspension of the eviction "at the request of the property owner after an agreement was reached with the Generalitat and the City Council of Barcelona for the purchase of the property." The City Council had previously requested the court to suspend the eviction due to the vulnerability of the residents.
According to the City Council of Barcelona, the eviction affected 18 occupied homes out of the 20 in the block, where 32 people reside, 6 of whom are minors. The Housing Trade Union of Catalonia (COSHAC) raises the figure to more than 50 residents, of which 10 would be minors.
The eviction proceedings began in 2019, when the then-owner, Reale Seguros, decided not to renew the rental contracts, according to the Housing Union of Sant Andreu. In 2021, a first eviction was carried out, but the homes were reoccupied. The people living in the building have no housing alternatives, according to COSHAC spokesperson Maria Serra, who emphasized that the eviction affects the elderly, children, migrants, refugees, and people at social risk.
The new eviction was scheduled for 8:00 this Wednesday. Several unions called for a gathering an hour earlier outside the building, which brought together more than 300 people including activists and residents. Shortly before 15:00, the first riot police from the Mossos d'Esquadra arrived, facing resistance from those gathered to allow access to the building.
The Emergency Housing Fund, approved on Tuesday by the Government in the meeting of the Executive Council, has 25 million euros available which can be increased by the Generalitat, along with contributions from municipalities, businesses, and civil society. These resources are intended to acquire homes with vulnerable tenants at risk of eviction when mediation, social rent, and emergency measures have been exhausted.
Illa celebrated the agreement on the social network X: "The Emergency Housing Fund has been key to stopping an eviction." He added that "housing policies work despite attempts by the right to stop them" and asserted that "in Catalonia we stand up to speculation."
The Minister of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition, Sílvia Paneque, defended that "protection measures work" and advocated for "continuing to strengthen them," also asserting that "housing is a right and guaranteeing it is a national priority."
With the purchase underway, residents of number 74 Llenguadoc Street will remain in their homes while the operation is finalised. The acquisition will be processed through the regional fund, and the City Council of Barcelona is confident that the agreement with the owners will be formalised in the coming weeks.
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