When we heard about a tour that was led by homeless people in Barcelona, we had to find out more. How does it work? What are the backgrounds of the hosts? It was even more interesting to find out that enthusiastic individual, Lisa Grace, had decided to set up such an amazing initiative. We had the pleasure of taking the classic city walk tour, and spending time with Lisa to find out all about it.
You were previously a market research consultant, what made you start the tour?
I have lived here since 2004. I lost my job whilst on maternity leave 2 years ago and stumbled across a homeless walking tour project in the UK and decided to try it here in Barcelona.
How do you go about selecting employees?
The biggest challenge is finding the guides. I require homeless who can speak one of French, German or English. They must be free of alcohol and drug addiction as they represent the public face of the company and this is a serious tour. I also require guides who are keen to work in small and intense team – it’s just me and the guides! Although there are over 3,000 homeless in Barcelona once you place a few filters on the search it is difficult to find guides. I recruit via social services, local charities and soup kitchens. I am constantly expanding my network to try and find new sources for potential guides.
Can you tell us a little more about homelessness in Barcelona?
There are around 40,000 homeless in Spain. Catalunya accounts for the highest proportion of homeless people in Spain (21% of the homeless in Spain are in Catalunya). Mainly due to the mild climate here in Catalunya and that it is an area with alot of business and industry, people come looking for opportunities that may not always work out. The current profile of homeless person in Barcelona is male, average age 43 years, half of which have children. Isolation, loneliness, disconnection are serious social problems caused by the street and can lead to different physical and mental disorders often, but not always, caused by drug and alcohol addiction.
We also know that half of the homeless have been victim of a crime or aggression: mainly insults and threats, robberies and assaults. Life expectancy for someone living on the street is 58 years, 20 years below the Barcelona average of 79 years for men and 85 for women.
How has the social enterprise changed the lives of those involved?
As well as the financial benefits the guides benefit from increased social contact aiding their integration back into society, also self esteem.
Do you intend to expand this enterprise to other cities?
Possibly we may launch a franchise in 2015/6
What can people do, if they want to help you with your project?
Tell everyone they know about Hidden City Tours! Share our website on social media – and come on a tour!
Find out more in their video below and don’t forget to visit www.hiddencitytours.com
[…] a great idea for a family, friends or colleagues is to get together and experience a tour with Hidden City Tours, where ex homeless show you THEIR Barcelona. Ex chef Ramon also offers a Gourmet tour with tapas at […]