That waste does not prevent us from seeing the forest Reptes educatius that promote autonomy in Reus Balada del carrer Ample The challenge of getting registered without having a fixed address in Reus
That waste does not prevent us from seeing the forest Reptes educatius that promote autonomy in Reus Balada del carrer Ample The challenge of getting registered without having a fixed address in Reus
The municipal register is the basis of practically all rights: «Without a register there is no DNI, without a DNI you cannot have a job, nor access to healthcare», explains Sebastià, who has taken seven years to obtain the register in Reus, being originally from this city. He, having experienced first-hand the difficulties in registering after being homeless years ago, is clear: "The solution lies in registering without a fixed address, being able to have the register in, for example, civic centers", a formula that in some cities, such as Barcelona, it already exists. In Reus, not yet, but some cases have already been achieved, as Diari has learned.
Despite having obtained results in some cases, Reus Refugi, and also other groups in the city, want a protocol to be established for cases in which there is no fixed address in order to facilitate the circuit to follow. They assure that progress is being made, "it seems that something is moving", but they consider that it is still far away.
Many, as is the case of Sebastià, find themselves with the problem that in order to be registered they are required to have an address, "but if you don't have it, if you've been living on the street or you're squatting, you're out of town." game and, from here, to lose all rights as a citizen. You can't even work and this is the basis of all the rest."
It is not necessary to be in an extreme situation to have difficulties in registering. From Reus Refugi they indicate that if the owner of a home gives authorization to a third party to register, there is no problem, but if said authorization is not given, the interested party may encounter difficulties. “The issue goes beyond homelessness. A student, for example, can find himself in this situation, “add sources from the Reus Refugi entity.
«Fundamental rights such as the right to vote or to be a candidate in municipal elections, the right to participate in public affairs, the right to initiate a popular consultation, to education, access to public health, or access to social services (...) can only be exercised if the citizen is effectively registered", recalls from the Forum of Ombudsmen and Ombudsmen Local Defenders of Catalonia in El dret a ser empadronat i la bona administració. Legality, public policies and good practices.
The criteria at the time of registering vary depending on each municipality, which causes “situations of inequality depending on the municipality of residence”, the Ombudsman of Catalonia indicated in the 2008 report on municipal management the registration of immigrants. However, there are people who find it difficult to register "and there are those who tell you that it is better to go to Barcelona, where they even allow you to register in a car," say people who have found themselves on the verge of leaving Baix Camp.
In the specific case of Reus, the electronic office of the City Council details the necessary documentation and how to carry out the process to register or make a change of address on the register. At the point of accreditation of the place of residence, three assumptions are established: ownership or usufructuary address, rental address (a current rental contract is necessary) and, finally, “other situations different from the above”. In this last point, it is detailed that in the case of not having a rental contract, an authorization from the owner or the holder of the rental contract is valid. If it is a collective dwelling, authorization to register in collective dwellings is required. "For any other situation that does not conform to the above, it will be necessary to make a registration request to the register where the situation is explained (...)", it is detailed.
It is in this context that Reus Refugi assures that it has managed to register people without a fixed address in the city, but they insist on the need to create a protocol. Along these lines, Sebastià points out that he has recently been registered as a resident without a fixed address and that he is also aware of other cases, "but without a protocol to follow, a lot of confusion is generated, because in the end it is like only those who insist the most get it, and this should not be so. Things should be clear."
Reus Refugi details that they are currently helping more than fifteen families in the registration process. They report that they have found very different reasons in terms of refusals from the register, but they agree that they have detected a lack of information in the processes: «Many receive a letter announcing the start of the proceedings to make or not the census. Later, they receive a negative report and it is because Guàrdia Urbana has not found the individual in question at the home. It is not known when or how many times the police pass by the house, but what is clear is that one cannot be at home all day.
For its part, the consistory has detailed that it does not contemplate changing the registration protocol. In any case, they indicate that, if Reus Refugi made a proposal, it would be studied.