An 89-year-old woman with severe dependency in Vilanova i la Geltrú saw her eviction postponed for the third time today, following a large public protest and the refusal of emergency medical services to forcibly remove her. This marks the third such postponement in four months for Carme Alcaraz, known locally as Carmeta.
Ms Alcaraz has lived at the property on Rambla de Pirelli in Vilanova's Sea Quarter, the capital of the Garraf comarca, for 70 years. She sold her original house to developers in the early 2000s. The developers promised her a new flat in the block they would construct on the same site. However, the property swap was never formally registered, leading to the current dispute.
Decades of Residence and Unregistered Swap
Her daughter, Raquel Prats, explained that Ms Alcaraz temporarily moved to a rented flat while construction proceeded. The developer paid her rent during this period. Ms Prats stated that the original owner later told her mother she could move into one of the completed flats prematurely. This agreement, however, involved several irregularities that surfaced later.
The building's ownership subsequently went bankrupt. The flats then passed through several banking entities before an investment fund acquired them. This fund eventually sold the property to another company. The current owner now insists on Ms Alcaraz's removal through legal means, as her right to live in the flat is not officially recorded anywhere.
Ms Alcaraz maintains she is a victim of fraud. "They are thieves who took everything from me, even the belongings I had stored in a lorry during the construction," she stated, speaking with evident respiratory difficulties. She urged the owners to participate in a mediation process already open in the courts, with a hearing scheduled for 15 May.
Health Services Refuse Forced Removal
Today's eviction order marked the third attempt since the beginning of the year. Over the past decade, several other orders have also been suspended for various reasons. The recent attempts have garnered significant public mobilisation, with more than 100 people protesting today to prevent Ms Alcaraz's removal. A group of around ten activists from different social entities and housing rights groups spent the night in the building. Approximately 20 more joined them early this morning. As the hours passed, the mobilisation grew, far exceeding 100 attendees. Many protestors remained some distance from the property after the Mossos d'Esquadra cordoned off the area.
Activists from the Plataforma d'Afectats per la Hipoteca (PAH), or Platform for People Affected by Mortgages, and the Sindicat de Llogateres (Tenants' Union) led negotiations. They engaged with the Mossos d'Esquadra, judicial officials, the property owner, and local councillors for Housing and Social Services.
The Servei d'Emergències Mèdiques (SEM), or Emergency Medical Service, personnel firmly refused to forcibly remove Ms Alcaraz from her home. They informed judicial officials they could not remove a cognitively aware individual against her will without an explicit court order. The SEM also noted no immediate risk justified her transfer. "If they removed her by force, they risked assuming responsibility for endangering her integrity," Andreu Bonet, from the Sindicat de Llogateres, pointed out. Jacqueline Tokyo from the PAH stressed the woman's very serious health condition, which includes significant respiratory problems.
Community Mobilisation and Negotiations
The SEM's opposition, combined with the citizen mobilisation and the parties' willingness to negotiate, halted today's judicial order without a new date. Initially, negotiators proposed pausing the eviction until the 15 May mediation. This was conditional on Ms Alcaraz accepting any eventual resolution requiring her departure. However, the family requested an extension of this negotiation period until January, which the property owner did not accept.
Municipal Offers and Future Steps
The Ajuntament of Vilanova i la Geltrú has offered Ms Alcaraz a place in a local care home. This would involve co-payment based on her economic capacity. However, she has refused this option, asserting her desire to remain in her home.
The PAH reported a commitment from the Ajuntament to negotiate a social rent to ensure Ms Alcaraz could remain in her home with minimal financial impact on the owners. However, municipal sources told the Agència Catalana de Notícies (ACN) that a social rent was unfeasible. They cited the flat's lack of a habitability certificate. These sources confirmed seeking an ad hoc solution, hoping for cooperation from both the property owner and the family.
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Originally published by VilaWeb Feed. Read original article.
