The only place he has ever known is Barcelona. He has never travelled, never been to those places he looks up in the atlas. He would like to buy a geography book and have a quiet life.
His home was a cash machine lobby in Sagrada Familia Square. He would sleep for only a few hours at a time, hide his blankets from thieves and have a wash in the drinking fountain. According to him, living on the street entails sleeping for few hours at a time, eating badly and slowly but steadily losing respect for oneself: “the worst thing about living on the streets is the lack of hygiene and neglecting one’s own appearance. Later the situation eventually gets completely out of hand."
His parents abandoned him and he does not know why. He grew up in an orphanage in Sant Feliu de Llobregat and until his military service was due he stayed at the Asilo Duran, nowadays Clinica Teknon. He did not know his name and surnames until the age of six. He went to prison for assaulting a man that wanted to steal 15,000 ptas. from him. There he learned how to survive “and not much else, because that place was a living cemetery”.
Joaquin says that if you are on your own on the streets, people usually help you; but if there are two of you, they get scared. “I used to eat the sandwiches that nuns gave us, and sometimes somebody would leave a blanket for the winter. Years go by, and you hardly notice. Nobody was waiting for me”.
"A guy that lived with me on the streets invited me for a coffee and, I still do not know how he did it, ended up bringing me to Arrels. I liked it. I spoke with a social worker and I told her I wanted to get out of the streets, that I had had enough. I was fed up with feeling uncomfortable all day and getting on badly with the world. Here I am busy and I can feel useful. I am treated normally, with respect.”
Nowadays, Joaquín lives in one of Arrels’ flats and helps the organisation with maintenance tasks.
About us 
