Cáritas Diocesana de Ibiza has warned that women experiencing homelessness on the island face particular barriers to accessing support, highlighting a group whose circumstances can remain largely hidden from public view.

The charity’s day centre assists around 250 people each year, but the figure does not represent the total number of people experiencing homelessness in Ibiza. The organisation says it is also struggling to reach women who are living on the streets and has called for support services better adapted to their needs.

The issue was highlighted on Thursday, 22 October, when Cáritas marked the International Day of Homeless People with an awareness event at Vara de Rey in Ibiza Town. The event called for greater recognition of people without a home and challenged the idea that homelessness is simply a lack of accommodation.

Around 250 people assisted each year

Gustavo Gómez, a representative of Cáritas Ibiza, said the organisation’s day centre assists approximately 250 people annually, with a range of personal and family circumstances among those seeking help.

Men make up the majority of people attending the service. However, Gómez stressed that this does not mean women are unaffected by homelessness.

“We are also not managing to reach the women, who are also out on the street,” he said, according to the report.

The organisation believes that more tailored spaces and resources are needed to reach women experiencing homelessness and help them access appropriate support.

The distinction between people using a particular service and the wider homeless population is important. The day centre’s annual figure represents those assisted by that resource, not a complete count of everyone living without a home on the island.

Separate reporting by Cadena SER on the same day cited an estimate of between 400 and 500 people experiencing homelessness in Ibiza. This is a broader estimate and should not be directly compared with the day centre’s annual caseload as if the two figures measured the same group in the same way.

The challenges of leaving homelessness behind

Finding stable accommodation is only one part of rebuilding a life after homelessness. According to Cáritas, some people it supports face several difficulties at once, including substance-use problems and mental health challenges.

These circumstances can require sustained support and specialised care, making recovery more complex than simply finding somewhere to sleep.

The charity’s work focuses on accompanying people as they address their difficulties, rebuild their independence and work towards reintegration into society.

A stable home can also provide the security needed to recover confidence and rebuild relationships. Without that stability, people can face ongoing uncertainty about where they will sleep, how they will access basic services and whether they can maintain contact with family or friends.

For women who are not reaching existing services, the challenge begins even earlier: ensuring they can access support that recognises their circumstances and needs.

“This is not a choice”

During the event at Vara de Rey, Cáritas organised awareness activities, including a cardboard-house installation displaying messages about homelessness and the reading of a manifesto by a participant in the organisation’s programmes.

The manifesto described homelessness as an unstable and deeply difficult experience, extending beyond the absence of a roof to include emotional strain, uncertainty and the feeling of being judged by others.

Its central message was that homelessness should not be treated as a personal choice. The text highlighted the social, economic and political factors that can contribute to people losing their homes and called for greater institutional involvement.

It also warned that available resources are insufficient and under pressure, urging authorities to improve access to stable, safe and suitable housing.

The campaign seeks to challenge stereotypes about people experiencing homelessness and encourage the public to recognise the individual circumstances behind the issue.

A home is more than a roof

This year’s campaign uses the message: “A home is much more than a place to live; it is a place to belong.”

For Cáritas, the concept of home includes security, relationships, community and the ability to participate in society. Losing a home can mean losing not only a place to sleep but also the personal and social connections that help people feel part of a community.

The organisation closed its public appeal with the message: “Stop. Come closer. Act. Nobody without a home.”

The call is directed at public authorities as well as the wider community, asking people to look beyond the visible signs of homelessness and recognise those who may remain hidden from support services.

The need for more accessible support

Cáritas’s warning highlights two connected challenges in Ibiza: the need to support people already experiencing homelessness and the difficulty of reaching those who do not access existing services.

The organisation says women living on the streets are among those who risk being overlooked, and that support must be adapted to their needs.

The annual figure of around 250 people assisted by the day centre offers one measure of the charity’s work, but it cannot describe the full scale of homelessness on the island. The wider estimate reported separately suggests that many people remain beyond the reach of any single service.

For Cáritas, the message of the awareness day is clear: addressing homelessness requires more than emergency accommodation. It also means making support accessible, strengthening social connections and helping people regain a safe place in which to rebuild their lives.