The separation of a married couple, a loss of employment, an illness, the lack of economic resources, the death of a loved one, a mental health disorder, a lack of education…  At first glance, none of these factors is enough to cause social exclusion.  But if some of these circumstances happen in the same time period, it is more likely that an individual will get off-balance in his or her personal life.

The process of exclusion is dynamic and multidimensional.  This means that someone doesn’t end up in the street from one day to the next.  Rather, their situation deteriorates over time, due to the confluence of factors that cause a situation of exclusion. 



For example:

An elderly woman with little formal education becomes unemployed and    widowed at the same time

A woman with mental health problems has no family to take care of her

A young person struggling with drug addiction has been kicked out of the house

Someone without savings is diagnosed with an illness

In this process of deterioration other factors come into play, relating to housing; emotional ties and social isolation; ability to buy food; issues related to education, professional qualifications and access to the job market; and issues related to physical and mental health.  The individual’s state of well-being, as well as the ability to cope with and respond to such situations, also comes into play.


In this context, the response of the Spanish state is rather poor.  Just one figure is telling: non-contributory (a lo mejor podéis deicr “social security” o “government-paid”) retirement pensions are less than 400 Euros a month, which falls below the poverty line in Spain.

Everyone needs to get involved and help put roofs over people’s heads because, as you can see, each one of us could experience a period of insecurity that leads to a situation of exclusion and vulnerability.


Further information:
What we know about the homeless