Shared beds, scandals and…, the reality of Latinos in Spain

shared bed, scamsLiving of the entire family in one room and discrimination are some of the abuses that create Bad Experience The search for housing for the many Latin Americans living there spain,

uncontrolled increase in rental prices and Shortage build housing immigrantsEspecially those who have only lived in Spain for a short time and do not have papers or a work contract, they have to accept the excessive demands of some landlords.

This is the case of Liliana, a 29-year-old Peruvian woman who, during her first year spain She shared a bed, slept on the couch in the dining room of an apartment where five other people lived, and was living in the house of an older woman who would not let her leave, arguing that she could not be left alone. could go.

Fed up with the old lady’s demands, he left the job and from then on his situation became even more complicated.

“Nobody really helped me, but some people took advantage of me,” he said in an interview with EFE.

Without work or documentation, no one wanted to rent her a room, so she had to accept the offer of a compatriot who offered her a ‘warm bed’ that she shared with two other women. One of them worked nights, but the other slept with him on a double bed, which took up the space of the room.

When it seemed things couldn’t get any worse, the owner of the house kicked them out of the room to accommodate relatives and offered them a sofa, earning the contempt of the other residents of the house who let them live in the dining room. Didn’t like to use. To sleep.

Housing problems also affect Latin Americans who have been in Spain for a long time, such as Ileana, a salvador The 32-year-old, whose arrival was peaceful because she was received by a friend and the woman she was taking care of treated her well, but when the elderly woman entered a residence and had to look for accommodation, So everything got complicated.

She recalls, “I did dozens of interviews with people who rented rooms and when they saw I was pregnant, they threw me out on the street without any mercy.”

“They were afraid that I would stop paying and become a foreclosure,” he says, based on this fear. DiscriminationBecause some tenants believe that Latin American women stop paying rent when they have small children in their care because it is more difficult to legally evict them.

Ileana has an indefinite employment contract and the financial ability to pay her rent room in barcelonaThe city where she works and where she found a daycare for her daughter, but found nothing in the Catalan capital.

Ultimately, she had to accept a room in a neighboring town, and now she is forced to make long trips on public transportation because her landlord does not allow her to register in that town, in order to replace her daughter’s daycare. There was an urgent need.

LSI, native of hondurashad come for catalonia A few years from now. in your present A living place, Settled For a couple, she lives in a rented room with their three children and has the right to only use the kitchen, not enjoy the dining room or have anyone move into the apartment.

“Plus, my sister, who takes care of my kids while I work on the weekends, also has to pay for her use room“, Mint.

Stephanie, born Colombiabeen in spain And their biggest hope is to be able to bring their son who lives in their country, but, although they have a partner and they can both afford a big room, they cannot afford an apartment. And this makes it difficult for them to come. Child.

Housing, along with finding a good job with a reasonable salary, is one of the main concerns of Latin Americans in Spain. efe