The shanty towns appeared in Avilés in the 1950s and 60s due to the immigration caused by the industrialisation of the area. The gypsy community (about 500 people) settled in certain impoverished areas with difficult access to the main resources (housing, training and employment, education, health) and lacking any kind of associationism. Since 1989 the eradication of shanty towns and the integration of their inhabitants in the city have been one of the main political and social concerns.

From the 500 people who lived in six different shanty towns in 1989, by now there are only four with 125 inhabitants. 160 people more are living in the “ Promotional City”. The main goal of the project is to re-accommodate all of them (including the inhabitants of the Promotional City) in adequate conditions all over the city, in order to ensure not only their access to a decent housing but also to other services such as health, education or employment, thus enabling social integration and multicultural coexistence.

Among the factors that have allowed the proper development of the project are:

The most important results are:

Centro Municipal de Servicios Sociales. Ayuntamiento de Avilés
C/ Galiana, 11
33400 Avilés
Spain
Phone: +34 985549225
Fax: +34 985540863
ssocial@ayto-aviles.es

30/11/2006

case

Urban Policy > Housing > Housing policy

Homelessness