Women accounted for 63% of those attended to, with 24% either receiving assistance for the first time or having had no need of social services for at least a year. By district, and taking into consideration the volume of support provided (each person may receive assistance on various occasions or in various ways), the districts with the most activity continue to be Nou Barris (assistance on 38,835 occasions) and Ciutat Vella (36,801).

To cope with the increase in demand, the Municipal Institute for Social Services (IMSS) bolstered its basic support teams last year by taking on over a hundred professionals. Specifically, this meant 95 extra workers at social services centres (CSS), 25 extra workers for support teams for children and teenagers (EAIA) and another 3 for the Care, Recovery and Reception Service (SARA).

Economic support managed directly by social services centres in 2021 totalled 41.3 million euros, of which more than half (25.8 million) was used to subsidise housing costs (7.5% more than in 2020), while 9.96 million went to the 0-16 fund for families with young children and the other 3.5 million was used for food subsidies.

Municipal social services recognised for their work

Barcelona’s social services have been recognised as the best in the Spanish state by the National Association of Social Services Directors and Managers (AEDiGSS). The city is one of just eleven in the Spanish state with social services capable of processing financial support in under 48 hours.

The city’s social services were also recently recognised with Barcelona Medals of Honour 2021 for their essential work to support people during the Covid-19 pandemic.