Manuel Heredia wakes at 5:00 every morning. After washing, he boards a train to Sant Andreu de la Barca, where he starts his shift as a warehouse worker at 6:20. After eight hours on the job, he showers at work and returns to Cornellà de Llobregat. There, he prepares for another night on the street, laying cardboard near a library for some protection from the cold ground and the risk of theft or violence.
Heredia, 59, earns €1,200 a month and holds a permanent contract. Yet even with stable employment, he cannot afford to rent a room or apartment. For more than a year, he has been homeless, unable to save enough for the upfront costs required by landlords, including deposits and agency fees, plus the first month's rent. His sister helps by safeguarding his savings, while his work clothes remain locked in a company locker.
From Job Loss to Homelessness
Heredia's situation changed dramatically after he lost his previous job and was asked to leave the apartment he shared with his partner. The unemployment benefit he received was not enough to cover even a modest room. His circumstances changed when a Cruz Roja volunteer, Emilio, connected him with a job chance. On January 12, he started working at the warehouse and soon secured a permanent contract. But a steady paycheck has not put a roof over his head.
At night, Cruz Roja volunteers check on him twice a week, offering support and monitoring his well-being. Heredia says he prefers to sleep outside and have enough to eat instead of spending all his income on a room and going hungry. "I'd rather live on the street and be able to eat than pay for a room and have nothing left for food," he explains, describing the impossible choices many low-income workers face.
Work No Longer Guarantees Housing
Heredia's story is not unique. The latest report from Fundación FOESSA says 1.4 million people in Catalonia, 38% of the working population, are affected by job insecurity. More than half of those living in social exclusion belong to households where the basic breadwinner is employed. Housing costs have become a major driver of inequality: around 568,000 Catalan families, nearly two million people, experience some form of residential instability. The study also notes that 13.3% of the population falls into severe poverty after paying housing-related expenses.
Separate analysis by Oxfam Intermón, based on 2024 data reported by ARA, shows how rent can deepen hardship among people who work. After housing costs, 28.3% of employed tenants in Catalonia were below the poverty threshold, compared with 6.1% of employed people paying a mortgage. Across all employed people, the post-housing poverty rate was 12.9%, up from 7.9% before housing costs. The findings help explain why a permanent contract and regular wages may still leave workers unable to meet rent or the upfront costs of securing a home.
Pressure is also evident in demand for protected housing. More than 139,000 households were registered as seeking public housing in Catalonia, information from figures from the Agència de l’Habitatge de Catalunya reported by La Vanguardia. Just 14,378 units had been started over the preceding five years, about one-tenth of the number of registered applicants. Among those on the register, 63% reported gross annual incomes below €14,433, or about €1,202 a month, while another 24% reported incomes below €24,055 a year. The Generalitat estimates that around 8,000 people are homeless in Catalonia, with more than half in Barcelona, according to ARA.
The widening gap between employment and housing security is also evident elsewhere in Spain. In La Rioja, a recent court ruling ordered a retired farmer to repay nearly €47,000 after authorities found he continued working while receiving a pension. The case reflects the financial pressures many face, as detailed in this report on pension and work conflicts.
Saving for a Future Home
Heredia is determined to change his circumstances. He saves nearly all his earnings, including overtime, hoping to build up enough for the deposits and fees required to secure a rental contract. Until then, he focuses on keeping up his hygiene and punctuality while maintaining his job performance, all impressive to holding on to the stability he has managed to regain. He hopes that by the end of the year, he will finally be able to unlock the door to a place of his own.
