In an invisible corner of the housing market, thousands of people in Catalonia are trapped in a precarious reality: subletting rooms. This growing phenomenon has become a desperate alternative for those unable to access decent housing. More than just a housing solution, this practice exposes the deep shortcomings of the housing system and the challenges of social exclusion.

The recent report titled Shared Exclusion: Living in a Room in a Context of Residential and Social Exclusion, produced by the Social Reality Observatory of Cáritas Barcelona in collaboration with the Social Reality Observatory of Cáritas Catalunya and the Decent Housing Observatory of Esade’s Institute for Social Innovation, provides a detailed analysis of this issue. Based on 63 in-depth interviews and four discussion groups, the report reveals the harshness of this reality and offers a strong foundation for understanding its impact.

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Article by Raluca Budian, Associate Director of the Decent Housing Observatory at Esade’s Institute for Social Innovation.