The Mossos d'Esquadra carried out the eviction of Jennifer this Wednesday morning in a municipal dwelling on passeig Mata in Reus, in the old Casa dels Mestres, where she had been living for almost a decade. During the operation, the woman and another member of the Housing Union who was at the residence were also arrested.
The case has resulted in an eviction and two arrests despite Jennifer being a victim of gender-based violence in 2021 and the City Council maintaining that Social Services had been monitoring her situation since then and had offered her residential alternatives. Both detainees were released after four in the afternoon.
Mossos evicted the dwelling around 11:30 AM
Five police vans, officers from the Guardia Urbana, and Mossos d'Esquadra vans, who carried out the eviction, were deployed to the property. The gathering brought together members of the Housing Union and neighbors in front of the building on passeig Mata.
Around 11:30 AM, workers began removing Jennifer's belongings and those of her two dogs. Shortly after, the Mossos d'Esquadra evicted the woman from the municipal apartment and took her to the police station along with another member of the union who remained inside.
In the afternoon, the two arrested individuals were released. The collective criticized the eviction and Jennifer's arrest.
The union and neighbors demanded a housing alternative
During the protest, the Housing Union demanded a housing solution and denounced what it considers institutional neglect that has persisted since 2021. The protest was concentrated in front of the old Casa dels Mestres as the operation progressed.
Juanjo, a member of the Housing Union, questioned the deployment of resources to carry out the eviction instead of allocating them to a residential alternative for Jennifer.
"Surely we would have enough to pay for many months of any apartment for Jennifer to have an alternative, but they prefer to spend resources on throwing people out of their homes" - Juanjo, member of the Housing Union
Neighbor Martina González also spoke, highlighting the lack of accommodation for a single, ill woman despite the existence of empty housing in the city.
"There are so many empty houses and they can't offer a roof to a woman who is alone and sick" - Martina González, neighbor
The City Council maintains that it had been monitoring the case since 2021
The municipal version maintains that Social Services had been monitoring the case since 2021, in coordination with specialized services. The City Council adds that the teams from the Area of Services to People and Social Rights and the Department of Housing worked jointly.
Furthermore, the council states that it had offered different solutions to the affected person since 2021. Jennifer had been residing in the municipal housing on passeig Mata for almost a decade when the eviction was carried out this Wednesday.