Metzineres, the non-profit cooperative in Raval that assists women in vulnerable situations, must leave its premises at carrer de la Lluna, 3, before June 30 because the property will not renew the rental contract. The entity is asking administrations for a stable space in the neighborhood to avoid the closure of a service that about 60 women attend daily.
The paradox is that the resource loses its headquarters after having been recognized by the Generalitat de Catalunya as a Specialized Intervention Service and having received at the end of 2024 the Award from the Catalan Observatory of Justice for Machista Violence. Without a new location in El Raval, the immediate alternative is to be left without physical space.
Metzineres must leave the premises on Lluna street before June 30
The cooperative operates in a 120-square-meter space in the Raval neighborhood. There it organizes meals and workshops, has a cleaning area with showers and bunk beds, a small infirmary, and an outdoor patio with washing machines.
Aura Roig, president and founder of Metzineres, places the problem in the loss of roots and basic coverage. Daily, about sixty women pass through the premises, many of them homeless, victims of gender violence, and with substance abuse.
"Moving out of Raval is already a problem because we are neighbors of the neighborhood, but if we don't renew, what's left for us is the street" - Aura Roig, president and founder, Metzineres
Founded in 2017, the entity has specialized in the care of women who chain several situations of vulnerability. The premises on carrer de la Lluna act as a daily reception point and also as a stable reference within the neighborhood.
Roig adds that losing this space will be like losing his home, a point of reference and security. The warning comes as the entity already takes for granted that it will not continue in the current headquarters beyond June.
The entity gathered more than 3,000 signatures to demand a stable space in the neighborhood
Faced with the forced departure, Metzineres has launched a signature collection campaign to demand an alternative in El Raval from the administrations. So far, it has garnered more than 3,000 signatures.
Maria Lech, a community technician for the entity, describes the bond that is built within the premises and the role it plays in the daily reception of users.
"We are like a family and from the first moment a woman arrives here, we make her part of our family. When they come, they realize they are not alone" - Maria Lech, community technician, Metzineres
The participants also place the value of the space in the intimacy and security it offers. In a facility of reduced dimensions, basic services, support, and a place to rest coexist in the heart of Raval.
Manu, a participant in Metzineres, summarizes that function with a direct request, arguing that there is no other place like it for her. The venue combines showers, bunk beds, a nursing station, and washing machines at a single point of care.
"From the first moment I arrived I felt I had an intimate, safe place, with companions, there is no other place like this. I cannot describe in words what this place is, all I know is that it cannot be closed" - Manu, participant, Metzineres
The Generalitat de Catalunya recognized Metzineres as a Specialized Intervention Service in 2020 and the Catalan Observatory of Justice for Machista Violence awarded it one of its prizes at the end of 2024.