For several weeks, Inca Town Hall has been denying the existence of two shanty settlements. Police sources say otherwise, while there is the evidence of people's own eyes.
The town hall maintains that these are families who have squatted in houses. However, there are for example no roofs. Homeless people have settled in them. Tents, canvas and cardboard are used for protection against the elements. One of these settlements is opposite McDonalds on the main road through Inca; the other is near the hospital.
A shanty not a squat. Photo: Pere Bota.
Town halls are responsible for families' social care. They offer assistance through social services to people who require it and inform the Council of Mallorca's IMAS social affairs institute of cases where people require shelter or other resources that they are unable to provide.
IMAS says that it has no record of homeless cases in Inca: "No settlements, no people living on the streets, the town hall has not communicated anything to us."
In Mallorca, in the Balearics in fact, counts of homeless people are only carried out in Palma and Playa de Palma. The Cruz Roja (Red Cross) coordinates with IMAS in attending to their needs. The most recent census that the two entities undertook recorded 443 homeless people. This was in 2022, since when homelessness has been on the increase.
The profile of the homeless has changed - 40% are native to the Balearics; a good number of them have jobs. Marga Plaza, head of the Cruz Roja programme for caring for homeless people, says: "The price of housing means that they don't have enough money to rent a house. Sometimes it doesn't even cover renting a room. We come across people who have jobs who are homeless."
Zoltan TeglasThe last time social housing was built in any considerable numbers in Mallorca was back in the 60’s and 70’s, but we don’t want to talk about that, do we ?
Nor do we want to consider sheltering these people in hotels, residences or any other available living quarters. Those are to be destined for foreign guests.
INCA has a PSOE Government in Charge so there should be Fluid communication between the Counsel and the Town Hall unless it´s because everyone has been Christmas Partying which is understandable or they just want to put the blame somewhere else PALMA . It's true problem´s ignored do not make them go away .
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Jacky ELLIOTTAnd the homeless care about the rich do they?! Get real man.
Zoltan TeglasThe last time social housing was built in any considerable numbers in Mallorca was back in the 60’s and 70’s, but we don’t want to talk about that, do we ? Nor do we want to consider sheltering these people in hotels, residences or any other available living quarters. Those are to be destined for foreign guests.
When will they start building social housing in Mallorca, tomorrow? next year? in 5 years?never?
The rich don't care about the homeless.
INCA has a PSOE Government in Charge so there should be Fluid communication between the Counsel and the Town Hall unless it´s because everyone has been Christmas Partying which is understandable or they just want to put the blame somewhere else PALMA . It's true problem´s ignored do not make them go away .
When will politicians, of all shades, realise that refusing to recognise a problem does not make it go away.