The Tarragona City Council activated the igloo operation last night in response to the drop in temperatures.
The Civil Protection, Red Cross, Urban Guard and Social Services teams have combed the city to look for people in vulnerable situations who sleep on the street and have offered them to spend three consecutive nights in accommodation where they are more protected from the cold, as well as such as hot drinks and blankets for those who have rejected the proposal.
From the council, up to thirteen beds have been made available. Nineteen people have been located in the operation, of which ten have agreed to be treated. Of these, seven were relocated. In the last count carried out in October, up to 78 homeless people were counted.
This year, for the first time, Social Services workers have accompanied the Urban Guard patrols and the Civil Protection and Red Cross volunteer staff on the route. “One of the objectives is to verify that the data we obtained in October has not increased,” explained Daniel Martínez, head of Civil Protection of Tarragona.
Another novelty in 2024 is that the operation begins earlier. If the route usually started around eleven at night, last night it was at nine.
“What we must try from the city council is to alleviate and give quality of life to these people. At eleven o’clock, sometimes they were already sleeping and now we want to offer the housing alternative sooner,” highlighted the mayor of Tarragona, Rubén Viñuales. However, the igloo operation was initially designed to be applied when temperatures fell below zero degrees, but in recent years it has also been implemented in episodes of several days of intense cold. This Monday night the temperature was around six degrees.
The action began with a first meeting at the Urban Police headquarters, where two teams met. Always accompanied by a patrol, Civil Protection has been in charge of checking the Rambla Nova towards the sea, while the Red Cross has checked the Rambla up, especially the Part Alta.
In one of the places where there are usually homeless people, next to the cathedral, they found three men and a woman, who often keep each other company. Everyone already knows the volunteers, especially those from the Red Cross, who every Sunday afternoon throughout the year distribute drinks, food and objects they may need.
After a while of conversation, two agree to go to a boarding house. In fact, one of them needs a wheelchair to move around, since in recent days he has been admitted to the hospital and has difficulty walking.
The other two prefer to remain on the street to take care of their belongings and, especially, their pets: a dog and a cat.
The fact that animals cannot access accommodation is one of the factors that makes some people prefer to stay on the street.
Everyone has appreciated the volunteer work and being able to drink hot broth. However, they complained to the police about the insecurity they suffer and explained that they have recently suffered robberies. “The other day they stole six blankets from me,” said one of them, blaming a group of minors.
