When the social worker called Javier Irure to tell him that he would be evacuated, the 65-year-old Spaniard could not imagine that he would end up homeless after five decades of manual labor.
“I grabbed a sheet of paper, put on as many clothes as I could, a few books, and something else, and I said, ‘I have a roof to sit on, my car,'” said Irure of his old Renault Clio, which he has housed in recent three months.
Irure is among a multitude of indirect victims of the pandemic. He was not infected with COVID-19, but the economic slowdown caused by traffic restrictions and social interaction implemented by the authorities to control the spread of the coronavirus proved lethal for its financial stability.
Irure, who started working as a boutique in a hotel at the age of 13, was working as a professional cleaning agent when the pandemic hit, leaving him with no sources of income. It wasn’t long before he was evicted from the apartment he was renting.
He tried to get help from state social services, but to no avail. He is currently receiving support from local humanitarian aid group Aid Mutua.
“Like a pendulum, going back and forth from window to window, from calls that never answer, from vague promises,” Irure said, referring to his attempts to get help from the official bureaucracy.
Spain has been particularly hard hit by the pandemic due to its high dependence on tourism and the services sector.
The country’s left-wing government has maintained a temporary licensing program to reduce the impact, but more than a million jobs have been lost anyway.
Although family unity in Spain has been a pillar for many who would otherwise have gone unnoticed, attempts to keep people in jail have strained family relationships and the divorce rate has risen. The fact that many houses have collapsed has allowed many individuals to do all they can on their own.
The Catholic humanitarian aid organization Caritas Española said this month that about half a million more people, 26% of all aid, have sought support since the pandemic began a year ago.
Caritas has opened 13 new centers with the capacity to serve 1,400 people dedicated to supporting the homeless since the coronavirus arrived in the country.
Juan Jiménez has also been forced to live in his second-hand Ford for almost a year.
Jiménez, 60, saw his life collapse when he and his wife bought a larger house, but mortgage payments fell out of control and their marriage collapsed. The 620 euros he received in government aid in recent months he gave to his seven children.
“I dreamed of having all my children under one roof, but it is safer to be here,” he said. “They made their living and I would be an obstacle.”
Jiménez and Irure move their cars from one parking lot to another on the outskirts of northern Pamplona, where they once had houses. They do this to avoid attracting attention and becoming a nuisance to residents.
“When I wake up in the morning, I ask myself, ‘What am I doing here? Jiménez said from his car, full of clothes, blankets and bags packed with everything he has.
“We are like invisible beings. Nobody wants to look at us. Nobody wants to hear from us. We do not exist “, he cried.