On the night of January 6 to 7, passersby in the La Barceloneta district of Barcelona discovered the body of a man whom police say was homeless. He was 57 years old. He died right on a city square, where he had been trying to shelter from the biting wind and cold. During this time, temperatures in Catalonia plummeted, and the city was gripped by severe winter weather.
Police found no signs of foul play. Preliminary reports indicate that the tragedy was caused by natural factors related to hypothermia. Nevertheless, as procedure requires, a forensic examination will be carried out. The man, whose name was Eusebio, usually stayed in the Les Corts area but had recently ended up in La Barceloneta, where his life came to an end.
Fifth victim in a month
Eusebio’s death marks the fifth among homeless people in Barcelona in the last five weeks. Just this week, a man sleeping rough was also found dead in neighboring Badalona. Volunteers and charity groups are sounding the alarm: the death toll is rising, while municipal services are struggling to keep up with the challenges of winter.
Organizations working with the homeless have openly voiced their outrage. They believe city authorities are not doing enough to protect people living on the streets. According to these groups, about two thousand people in Barcelona are currently forced to sleep outdoors, and extra shelter spaces are opening too slowly and in insufficient numbers.
Insufficient measures
Barcelona authorities have announced the opening of a hundred new shelter spots, but this is clearly not enough. Charity representatives point out that in extreme cold, even short-term exposure on the streets can be fatal. They demand that municipalities urgently expand the network of temporary shelters and provide round-the-clock access to them.
The problem is particularly acute during sudden cold snaps when nighttime temperatures drop to critical levels. On such days, many homeless people are literally on the edge of survival. If for most city residents the cold is just a temporary inconvenience, for those living on the streets, it poses a deadly threat.
The city and indifference
The death of Eusebio has sparked discussion on social media and among Barcelona residents. People are asking: why in a modern metropolis, where everything exists for a comfortable life, must someone die on the street? Many believe homelessness has long since gone beyond a social issue, becoming a matter of human dignity and solidarity.
At the same time, some citizens point out that the existing support measures are often inaccessible to the most vulnerable. Bureaucracy, lack of information, and sometimes mere indifference mean people are left without help. And while authorities argue about budgets, people continue to die on the streets.
A challenge for the city
Barcelona, like many other major European cities, is facing a growing homelessness crisis. Economic hardship, rising housing costs, and social inequality are all contributing to more and more people being pushed to the margins of society. Each new death on the street is not just a tragedy, but a stark reminder that the system is failing.
While some debate the causes and point fingers, others continue to struggle for survival in conditions that can hardly be called humane. And it seems that in this battle between cold and indifference, humanity is losing.
