The Es Refugi association reports that it has a two-month waiting list and that the number of people who have been seeking its help has risen because of the increase in the cost of rented accommodation. Es Refugi, which provides food and shelter for those who are socially excluded, assists some eighty people on a daily basis, for whom Es Refugi provides their only home.
The majority of these people are long-term unemployed and over the age of 45 who either don't receive benefits or, if they do, can rely on more than 450 euros a month, which "doesn't pay for housing".
During 2017, Es Refugi assisted 108 destitute people. Ninety per cent of those they help either have no family or only poor family relationships. For the most part, they are men who are single, separated or divorced. People over the age of 55 represent 52% of those who go to their centre. In 2017, eleven people over 65 slept at the centre.
The association says that it faces a "titanic" struggle because of the numbers who are excluded from the labour market.
The annual Es Refugi Christmas fundraising market is at La Misericordia in Palma from Thursday to Saturday.