https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Victor Fernando Meza works during the day, but his salary is not enough to afford rent in the Spanish capital Madrid. So, once again, the 45-year-old Peruvian will spend the night at Barajas airport. https://www.thelocal.es/20250602/we-just-want-to-be-left-alone-sleeping-rough-at-spains-busiest-airport Mon, 02 Jun 2025 12:05:31 +0200 we-just-want-to-be-left-alone-sleeping-rough-at-spains-busiest-airport It's not uncommon to see beggars in the streets of Spain or for people to come up to you at a restaurant or bar to ask you for money. As is often the case with Spanish laws, the rules regarding begging are decided by individual cities. https://www.thelocal.es/20241016/is-begging-legal-in-spain Wed, 16 Oct 2024 13:16:22 +0200 is-begging-legal-in-spain Authorities in Pamplona have implemented a controversial measure to combat homelessness in the northern city: pay them to leave. https://www.thelocal.es/20240405/spains-pamplona-pays-homeless-peoples-one-way-bus-ticket-out-of-the-city Fri, 05 Apr 2024 11:13:27 +0200 spains-pamplona-pays-homeless-peoples-one-way-bus-ticket-out-of-the-city With a secure job as a bricklayer and monthly wages of €1,200, Hugo Ramírez never thought he would need the help of charity to feed his family. But spiralling living costs in Spain mean the 44-year-old father of three has been left with no other choice. https://www.thelocal.es/20221122/how-spains-inflation-is-driving-working-people-to-the-hunger-queues Tue, 22 Nov 2022 10:36:10 +0100 how-spains-inflation-is-driving-working-people-to-the-hunger-queues A year after the pandemic hit Spain, the need for food handouts has soared in the country, especially by workers in the sectors hit hardest by the economic crisis that followed. https://www.thelocal.es/20210319/queuing-for-food-handouts-how-the-pandemic-has-left-thousands-more-going-hungry-in-spain Fri, 19 Mar 2021 10:22:29 +0100 queuing-for-food-handouts-how-the-pandemic-has-left-thousands-more-going-hungry-in-spain "We're not animals but dogs live better than us," sighs Lidia Arribas, who lives without electricity in a vast slum near Madrid where temperatures hit historic lows this week. https://www.thelocal.es/20210114/canada-real-historic-snowfall-chills-madrids-shanty-town-to-the-bones Thu, 14 Jan 2021 10:21:00 +0100 canada-real-historic-snowfall-chills-madrids-shanty-town-to-the-bones Spain's leftwing government approved a minimum basic income scheme on Friday to tackle a spike in poverty stemming from the virus crisis that has forced many families to rely on food aid. https://www.thelocal.es/20200529/spain-approves-guaranteed-minimum-income-scheme-for-struggling-families Fri, 29 May 2020 18:28:01 +0200 spain-approves-guaranteed-minimum-income-scheme-for-struggling-families Accepting food handouts for the first time has become reality for thousands in Spain where poverty has soared during the epidemic, echoing the 2008 crisis from which many have barely recovered. https://www.thelocal.es/20200527/in-spain-food-aid-queues-grow-as-poverty-outpaces-2008-crisis Wed, 27 May 2020 14:24:58 +0200 in-spain-food-aid-queues-grow-as-poverty-outpaces-2008-crisis Spain is "utterly failing" its poorest citizens who are living in some of the worst conditions in Europe, despite its strong post-recession recovery, a UN expert said on Friday. https://www.thelocal.es/20200207/un-expert-slams-appallingly-high-poverty-rates-in-spain Fri, 07 Feb 2020 17:23:33 +0100 un-expert-slams-appallingly-high-poverty-rates-in-spain More than a quarter of all families with children in Spain are living in poverty, with most of them in three-generation households, a Save the Children study showed Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.es/20200206/a-quarter-of-all-families-with-children-in-spain-live-in-poverty Thu, 06 Feb 2020 11:33:32 +0100 a-quarter-of-all-families-with-children-in-spain-live-in-poverty Spain may be the EU's poster child for economic recovery, but impressive growth rates have failed to make a dent in the number of people struggling to make ends meet despite having jobs, the "working poor". https://www.thelocal.es/20181114/working-poor-abound-in-spain-despite-economic-recoveryr Wed, 14 Nov 2018 12:07:12 +0100 working-poor-abound-in-spain-despite-economic-recoveryr The richest one percent of the Spanish population accounts for a quarter of the national wealth, according to Oxfam Intermon. https://www.thelocal.es/20180129/the-reality-of-spains-economic-growth Mon, 29 Jan 2018 14:00:44 +0100 the-reality-of-spains-economic-growth The recently coined term aporofobia, translated as a fear and repudiation of poor people, has been chosen as the word of 2017 for “giving a name to a palpable reality”. https://www.thelocal.es/20171229/spanish-word-of-the-year-highlights-hatred-of-poor-people-aporofobia Fri, 29 Dec 2017 15:10:18 +0100 spanish-word-of-the-year-highlights-hatred-of-poor-people-aporofobia Elvira Montadas pushes her neighbour in a wheelchair along a badly paved sidewalk, past crumbling buildings, in return for some pocket change. https://www.thelocal.es/20170731/what-recovery-economic-rebound-bypasses-spains-poorest-neighbourhood Mon, 31 Jul 2017 11:18:29 +0200 what-recovery-economic-rebound-bypasses-spains-poorest-neighbourhood Barcelona’s poorest district is to pilot a “basic income” scheme that will see residents given grants to lift them above the breadline in a ground-breaking social experiment. https://www.thelocal.es/20170601/barcelonas-poorest-residents-will-test-minimum-income-scheme-in-social-experiment Thu, 01 Jun 2017 16:02:39 +0200 barcelonas-poorest-residents-will-test-minimum-income-scheme-in-social-experiment Pedro and Mohamed await every utility bill with much angst. https://www.thelocal.es/20161128/light-water-and-heat-a-luxury-for-millions-in-spain Mon, 28 Nov 2016 10:33:37 +0100 light-water-and-heat-a-luxury-for-millions-in-spain The death of an elderly Spanish woman in a fire caused by a candle used for light sparked outrage on Tuesday as a symbol of "energy poverty", a growing threat amid soaring power prices. https://www.thelocal.es/20161116/storm-over-spanish-pensioners-energy-poverty-death Wed, 16 Nov 2016 09:58:08 +0100 storm-over-spanish-pensioners-energy-poverty-death Police were called after passersby reported hearing a man calling for help from within a rubbish bin in the Vistabella neighbourhood of Murcia, southern Spain. https://www.thelocal.es/20161024/man-rescued-from-rubbish-bin-murcia Mon, 24 Oct 2016 18:59:26 +0200 man-rescued-from-rubbish-bin-murcia A new report reveals that Spain is among the worst developed countries for childhood inequality, with more than a third of children at risk of poverty. https://www.thelocal.es/20160415/one-in-three-spanish-children-at-risk-of-poverty Fri, 15 Apr 2016 15:20:20 +0200 one-in-three-spanish-children-at-risk-of-poverty Santander, Europe's biggest bank by capitalisation, has posted a 4.7 percent rise in third-quarter profit as growth in Spain offset the impact of a drop in the Brazilian real. https://www.thelocal.es/20151029/santander-bank-rides-high-on-the-spanish-recovery Thu, 29 Oct 2015 16:11:01 +0100 santander-bank-rides-high-on-the-spanish-recovery