Having a good time watching a football match with flatmates or being in your room quietly watching a film, without feeling alone. The 17 flats Arrels administers have television because it fulfils a social function. As the analogue to digital switch-over is about to arrive, we need DDT to keep on putting a roof.



January 2010 / Arrels Fundació
In a few months, the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) will replace the conventional analogue television. In a similar process to which we experienced some years ago when Euro arrived, the Europeans will have to adapt their TV set so as not to be out of that new system. This change affects also Arrels and its program of housing access.

“At present, Arrels administers 17 flats with room for 53 people, all of them with television, as much in the dinning room as in the bedrooms. The fact of having a TV in the dinning room encourages the relationship among the residents, but is also important having it in the bedrooms because the new residents prefer to be left alone in their room”, explains Anna Saumoy, worker of the housing access program.

That is the case of Alex and Domènech. Both are living in a tutelary flat some time now and they use the TV in a different way. “ We are three people sharing the flat; we have a television in the dinning room but we prefer to watch it in our own room. I enjoy most watching films and TV series as A Team and, while having lunch, the news”, Domènech explains. Alex does not want a TV in his room. He prefers the communal TV of the dinning room instead, where, from time to time, he meets some of his flatmates to watch football matches together.

“Most of the residents watch TV at night and Sunday afternoon, when the open centre of Arrels is closed”, comments Anna Saumoy that highlights how they make the most of the monitoring sessions of the housing access program to encourage the residents to share their time for a while in front of the TV.

DTT's that lend a roof

Every television in flats administered by Arrels is there thanks to individual donations. Most of them are old and, due to the analogical blackout, they will have to incorporate a DTT adaptor or be replaced with a new ones. In total, Arrels needs about 70 adaptors or televisions with DTT incorporated to fit out dinning rooms and bedrooms. April the third is the deadline. The sooner the change in Arrels's is made the better, because the function of socialize and to fill the gap of loneliness will not be cut off.

Collaborate! In case that you have a DTT adaptor or television with DTT integrated that you want to donate to Arrels Fundació, please contact us by e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .