Santa Cruz is facing a concerning situation due to the rising number of homeless individuals who are spending nights in streets, squares, or doorways. In the initial months of this year alone, there has been an increase of almost 60 individuals, adding to the count of those with some form of mental health issues: a total of 36 individuals, with 13 categorised as severe.
The escalation in homelessness, estimated to exceed 23% in the capital at the onset of 2024—compared to 2,300 homeless people across Tenerife in 2023—has compelled the City Council, through the Municipal Social Care Institute (IMAS), to seek assistance from the Prosecutor’s Office, Council, and Department of Social Welfare of the Canary Islands government to address this pressing issue, particularly regarding severe mental health cases. “Despite making all resources at our disposal available, they are evidently inadequate for a situation that surpasses our capacities,” remarked the mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez.
The Councilor for Social Care, Charín González, informed DIARIO DE AVISOS that “we are advocating for a collaborative resolution to tackle the rise in cases, especially those identified with any form of mental health pathology. Consequently, we have sought an additional meeting with the General Directorate of Public Health to make progress in this area, which is scheduled to take place following the carnivals.”
The councillor stated that “although this City Council allocates significant investment towards social care compared with other councils in the Canary Islands, we require support from higher governmental bodies as we cannot adequately address circumstances that extend beyond our municipal jurisdiction, particularly since we are assisting many individuals who do not reside here.”
She added that “the Mobile Outreach Unit (UMA) is where the surge in homelessness within the municipality has been most evident, particularly among those who sleep in the streets, squares, or doorways.” In May 2024 alone, 57 more individuals were assisted compared to the previous year, reflecting an increase of 23.17%.
Hostel
Furthermore, she highlighted that “more individuals were assisted in the first five months of 2024 than during the entirety of 2023. Although this is not clearly indicated in the statistics, there has been a rise in persons who, not meeting the criteria to receive resources from the service, are requesting assistance due to sleeping in private locations or occupying homes or public areas, thereby increasing the demand.”
González explained that “at the Municipal Reception Centre (CMA), the usual capacity is 120, yet due to the influx of requests, particularly during winter, it has increased to 140. An investment of nearly 15,000 euros has been allocated to activate the cold weather campaign at the shelter, providing an additional 20 emergency beds until February 7.”
In this context, the councillor specified that “up until December 11, the CMA received almost 60 requests for accommodation, yet 15 cases remained unresolved due to a lack of available spaces. Therefore, we are attempting to alleviate the need for sleeping arrangements for homeless individuals with the cold weather campaign. This resource is complemented by the 20 spots available in the Minimum Demand Centre, aimed at cases of severe social exclusion, alongside 30 in supervised apartments.”
Profile of the homeless in the capital
The typical profile of homeless individuals receiving assistance at the Municipal Reception Centre (CMA) in Santa Cruz is predominantly male, aged between 35 and 65, who are seeking accommodation services from other municipalities across the Canary Islands, the mainland, Europe, and beyond. According to IMAS data, the total number of individuals treated from January to May in 2023 and 2024 totalled 444 cases, comprising 333 men and 111 women.
However, this year has witnessed a minor decrease (19 cases) in the number of individuals residing in the shelter compared to the previous year. This difference is attributed to the stability of the intervention processes and the rise in those choosing to sleep outdoors while applying for a place in the shelter, “indicating the increasing chronicity of those assisted by the UMA,” explained Councilor for Social Care, Charín González.
In this regard, there has been a rise of 57 additional individuals sleeping rough in 2024, leading to a total of 202 men and 44 women compared to 160 men and 29 women in 2023. By district, Salud-La Salle has seen the largest increase, with 29 additional individuals reported in the early months of the year (121 compared to 92 in 2023). This is followed by Ofra-Costa Sur with 16; Centre-Ifara with 9; and Anaga with 4 extra individuals. Conversely, the Southwest has recorded a decrease in the number of individuals sleeping outdoors by 3. From these totals, over 82% are men and 44% are women.
