In all, municipal services to combat gender violence will get 55 new places, 44 of them for women and children suffering male violence and 11 for victims of human trafficking. The extra places, representing a 54% increase, will enable the service to offer greater safety and specialised care for people at risk who urgently need to get away from their usual home.

More resources to help women and children

One notable measure out of those presented adds more resources for the shelter of women with mental health disorders who are suffering gender violence, with eight new places jointly managed with third sector organisations. This is a temporary service providing care for women in the comprehensive recovery process, tackling a twofold problem and anticipating psychopathological decompensation processes. These resources mean that children or other dependent family members of the women attended to can also get access to a space for protection, shelter, coexistence, socio-educational support, guidance and advice at different levels.

In addition, to continue increasing the number of places in shelter in the future, a renovation project is being developed for a building with shelter homes for twenty women suffering gender violence, along with their children. The plan is for work on the facility to be completed in 2023, adding a further resource to the available shelter options.

Support hours from professionals have also been increased at shelter flats, rising to eight hours a week for women needing extra help in the process to leave the shelter and move towards an independent life. This increase means more face-to-face assistance for women and their children as they move towards autonomy, a moment which may be delicate for people making the transition after a long stay where they have had support from professionals 24 hours a day.

Planned expansion for the SARA

The boost to the Care, Recovery and Shelter Service (SARA) is a key aspect for guaranteeing proper support for women who suffer gender violence. In this respect, work is currently in progress to expand the service with a new facility, freeing up and increasing resources.

In addition, a new free phone support system was set up in February to improve communication with the service, with training given to 010 phone operators so they can handle calls relating to gender violence.

All the changes and new features in services to combat gender violence are included in the government measure “Adding alliances: Barcelona free of gender violence”, a roadmap setting out all the strategic lines until 2023.