The inhabitants of the street Miraculous in Zaragoza They have been on the warpath since August because in one of the building block premises, the Cépaim Foundation installed a social shelter for refugeeswhich has caused social concern in the neighborhood, since they denounce that the NGO does not have the authorizations to carry out this activity. In addition, they warn that minors could be housed in the establishments.
In fact, Cepaim is one of the NGOs responsible for managing the insertion of the twenty younger than Aragon organized after the controversial Sectoral Conference on Children and Adolescents in July, which led Vox to break the governments of all the communities it governed with the PP.
A clandestine refuge
Since the beginning of August, in what has always been a nursing academy, a clandestine social shelter has been located, managed by the Cepaim foundation. Even if, despite the importance of the issue, neither the NGO nor Government delegation explained the reason why it opens up to the neighborhood community of which it is a part, as happened at the beginning of September with the Gallardo Group hotel, in Mora de Rubielos (Teruel).
According to the residents of La Milagrosa, at numbers 5 and 7, the premises do not comply with the community statutes, they do not have an activity permit and have not obtained authorization to carry out the reforms they have carried out. A fact that they have reported to the National Police, with a detailed report. The case is being handled by the Zaragoza law firm Santiago Palazonwhich defends that the shelter alters the habitat of the area, because it is an activity that was not proposed at the time, as reflected in the statutes.
In the complaint filed on August 9, they requested “the intervention of the National Police and other authorities” with “urgency” because the situation could be very “serious”, since they suspected that there were minors and that the shelter was “in a situation of urban planning irregularity. However, after a month, the neighbors’ discomfort has only increased: “The police are doing nothing and have not shown up.”
The Inn
OKDIARIO managed to enter this shelter and indeed, we were able to verify that he had indeed a large dining roomseveral rooms, where refugees give classes in one of them. Of course, the organization quickly evicted us from the facilities when they discovered we were journalists: “You can’t be inside, this is private property,” one of the employees who supervised the center told us.
The coordinator in Aragon of Cepaim, Pilar Bernardothen helped us by phone, although he refused to give information about the activity they had started to carry out in the premises.
“We can talk later personally and I will explain our international reception and protection work“But not now,” he replied, “there are only 200 people left to stand up and protest in front of the gates, like in Mora de Rubielos.” “In fact, I am now coming out of a meeting with the Government Sub-Delegation and other entities to develop a coordinated strategy,” he added. Are they refugees? “Yes, they are refugees, but I can’t tell you anything else,” he concluded.
Through the main door, sometimes open, sometimes closed, young children come and go. What is your country of origin? How many are settled? How long will they stay? Under what legal conditions are they? How old are they? Questions to which we have not found answers. “They carry it with great secrecy and obscurantism“, denounce the neighbors, who assure that it is not a problem of xenophobia or aporophobia.
But, with this activity for which they lack permits, “there is a positive discrimination “Along with the rest of the citizens, we must respect the laws,” says the property manager. A feeling of unease that is increasingly widespread in the face of the unequal treatment that other neighbors receive when setting up their business or their home.
The hostel is working
After the sale of the premises, property of Caritas, to a recently incorporated company, the premises have been transformed in hostel in record time, as the neighbors explain, by presenting only “a declaration of renovation of the premises to adapt it to housing.”
The neighbors claim that work was carried out “with many pieces (between 9 and 10)”, in response to which they believe that there was “an irregularity and an abuse of right or right”. administrative fraud“, since the places were therefore not a dwelling, but “a place of reception or shelter”.
In fact, these events were brought to the attention of the Town Hall by the neighbors and, consequently, the Urban planning management The responsible statement stated the opposite, ordering “the immediate cessation of work and the restoration of the legal situation at the time prior to the activity”. This is why the neighbors are demanding that the City Hall “enforce the regulations”, fearing “that they will not obtain the permit”.
“We’re not going to stop”
But… What happened since then? “Nothing,” the neighbors answer. Well yes, nothing stopped the new tenants in their plans, who, even if they did not have the planning permissionmanaged to settle and house the refugees.
And not only that. At the beginning of the activity, the community of neighbors suffered an accident in the general pipes due to what they consider “an alleged increase in the fecal and waste water“, due to the fact that there are “so many people residing inside.”
Faced with this scandal, the Vox Municipal Group The Zaragoza City Council has registered, for this Wednesday, a question to the plenary commission of the Presidency, Institutional Relations and Citizen Security. Through this question, it is hoped to obtain more information on the actions of the NGO Cepaim in this shelter, which, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Inclusion, would have transferred the refugees to this place. In addition to knowing what measures They are expected to be adopted, as requested by the neighbors.
For their part, the inhabitants of La Milagrosa warn that “they won’t stopr» until their rights are respected. “We only ask the City Council to apply the law, nothing more,” they add, because they fear that if this clandestine shelter were approved, it would set a precedent for settling in more neighborhoods of Zaragoza.
Cáritas sells premises for 238,000 euros
The previous owner of the premises was Cáritas, who sold it last December to a recently created company (only one month before the purchase), for 238,000 euros. The said company, Talayero Langarita SLwas established with a share capital of 3,000 eurosbut despite this, he did not need “any bank financing”, according to the complaint to which OKDIARIO had access, since apparently the money was provided in equal parts by the partners of each of the two partners through two other companies.
In fact, the corporate purpose of Talayero Langarita SL reflects activities related to the acquisition and operation of real estate leases, hotels, etc., but they emphasize that “none are related to the accommodation or shelter of homeless people.”vulnerability or unaccompanied minors“.
Well, this property would have ended up renting the premises to the NGO Cepaim for its clandestine shelter. It should also be noted that Cepaim, as stated on its website, He also collaborates with Cáritasthe former owner. The whiting biting its tail.
