Isha Sesay
THIS weekend, a hotel used to host coronavirus patients in Mallorca will open their doors to 60 homeless people.
With temperatures plummeting to as low as 4°C and a sharp decline in COVID-19 infections, the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS) has decided to make good use of two floors of empty guest rooms.
Part of a social inclusion campaign, the initiative serves to support the most vulnerable members of society facing especially difficult circumstances.
As well as having a comfortable place to rest their heads, the new hotel guests will also be given food and plenty of hot drinks.
Despite being known for its jet-set lifestyle, five-star hotels and luxury yachts, the island has a particularly large homeless community.
In 2020, the Consell de Mallorca estimated that there were 650 people living on the streets – a notable increase from the 209 reported in 2014.
This growing number has led to multiple new initiatives being set up to help those experiencing homelessness, including one inspired by a project borne in New York.
This sees a dedicated council workers forging meaningful relationships with a homeless person where they are provided with advice and support to get back on their feet.
Despite having a reportedly high success rate, the homeless community was rocked last year after a 28-year-old man took his own life inside the iconic Parc de Mar in Palma.
Months previous, another homeless man died after jumping off the sixth floor of a building inside Son Sant Joan airport.
READ MORE:
- Homeless man jailed for being outside during lockdown in Spain’s Mallorca
- Spain’s El Corte Ingles donates beds to shelter homeless at La Liga side RCD Mallorca’s ground
