José Luis Álvarez-Castellanos, former Regional Coordinator of the United Left-Verdes of the Region of Murcia and the next regional deputy in the Regional Assembly, visited this morning the APTE association in the capital of Murcia to learn first-hand the daily work of delivery of breakfast that they carry out in the vicinity of the Red Cross headquarters for homeless people.
During his visit, Álvarez-Castellanos has been able to talk with members of the collective and with some of the people in street situations who go daily to this point of solidarity aid. “It is unacceptable that in the middle of 2025, in a city like Murcia, a thousand people are sleeping under bridges, in squares or parkings because social services turn their backs,” he denounced. “They are people who want to work and rebuild their life, but they are trapped in a system that marginalizes them for not meeting bureaucratic requirements such as regulating,” he said.
The APTO association, active since 1998, promotes from the collective commitment the social and labor reintegration of homeless through the circular economy, training and mutual support. From their “low demand help” approach, they offer breakfast, showers, laundry and basic supplies, providing a respite to those who live in the street and cannot access municipal resources.
Within the framework of this problem, the association itself has convened, together with other social and union groups, a citizen mobilization next Thursday, May 15 at 10:30 am against the City of Murcia. Under the slogan “due to the dignity of those who have less”, the concentration will require an accessible public housing network, a municipal social dining room and the urgent reinforcement of social services, currently collapsed according to complaints of the workers of the area themselves.
Álvarez-Castellanos has shown his support for the call and has called Murcia citizens to join: “We cannot talk about a full democracy while there are neighbors condemned to live in the street for the inaction of the institutions. You have to listen, accompany and act urgently.”
The situation of social exclusion has been significantly aggravated: according to official data, the homeless population has grown 24% in the last decade, and 32.4% of the regional population is at risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to the Regional Statistics Center. All this in a city where, according to the mobile social care service (Semas), more than a thousand people lack a roof.
With this mobilization, associations want to give voice to the most invisible and claim effective public policies to guarantee basic rights such as housing, food and dignity.
Álvarez-Castellanos has shown his support for the call and has called Murcia citizens to join: “We cannot talk about a full democracy while there are neighbors condemned to live in the street for the inaction of the institutions. You have to listen, accompany and act urgently.”
The situation of social exclusion has been significantly aggravated: according to official data, the homeless population has grown 24% in the last decade, and 32.4% of the regional population is at risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to the Regional Statistics Center. All this in a city where, according to the mobile social care service (Semas), more than a thousand people lack a roof. With this mobilization, associations want to give voice to the most invisible and claim effective public policies to guarantee basic rights such as housing, food and dignity.
