Former residents of the municipal San Francisco apartments in Madrid claim that the eviction has worsened their old age. Several are considering suing the City Council after learning that a judge ruled in favour of one of the residents who appealed.
Milagros sits on a bench in the square and, before speaking, breaks down in tears. It’s not just sadness, she says. It’s anger, helplessness, and the feeling that someone decided for her how her life should end. Next to her, other former neighbours of the San Francisco municipal apartments in Madrid share the same story: Paloma, Carmen, Blas, Bernardina, María. They all repeat the same word: deception.
Months after the City Council of Madrid evicted dozens of elderly people from these apartments, several of them have decided to raise their voices. After learning that a judge has ruled in favour of Alejandro, one of the residents who appealed his eviction, they are now considering suing the City Council as well. "If he shouldn't have left his home, why should we?" they ask.
The cry of the elderly: "I want to die peacefully"
Milagros is not talking about compensation. She is talking about the end of her life: "We are elderly, but we have our rights. I want to die peacefully. Please, City Council, do something. We just want to live peacefully in our homes." Her message is directed straight at the mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida.
She, like the rest of the neighbours, never wanted to leave. Some accepted because they trusted the word of the City Council. Others because they felt they didn’t have the strength to confront the Administration. Today, they all share the same feeling: that they were convinced to leave homes from which they perhaps should never have had to depart.
A worse life after eviction
None of the former residents believe their lives have improved. On the contrary. Paloma can barely finish her sentences without getting emotional. Blas talks about the years he feels have been stolen from him. Bernardina recalls how she had to leave the place where she had built her routine. Carmen sums it all up with one word: "deception."
And then there’s María, who has preferred to remain hidden for her safety, as she is a victim of gender violence. In the San Francisco apartments, she says, she had achieved something that for a long time seemed impossible: feeling safe. There she had rebuilt her life with independence.
The economic cost of losing a home
The majority of these elderly people claim that overnight they went from paying between three and four times more than what they were paying for their municipal apartments. No one, they report, has compensated them for that increase. We are talking about people with limited pensions and few resources, vulnerable elderly individuals.
But the "scam," as they refer to it, doesn’t end there. Many claim they are still spending part of their pension on food because the meals they receive in the residences where they were relocated do not satisfy them, like Nina, who is 93 years old. An added expense that, they say, they never imagined they would have to bear.
The neighbours of the San Francisco municipal apartments do not just talk about having lost a home. They talk about having lost peace, autonomy, routines, neighbours, time, and dignity. "They have stolen our lives," they declare.
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