It was yesterday morning in the centre of Granada that the body of a homeless man was found, thanks to a call to the 112 Emergency number.

The victim, thought to be around 50 years of age, had been living in an abandoned structure (Granada 92) on Calle San Fernando, near Al Campo. The body showed no signs of violence and he is thought to have died of natural causes, probably cardiac arrest.

Although this sort of discovery happens all year round, it is as Christmas approaches that more awareness is shown towards the plight of the homeless, many of whom suffer from untreated mental issues.

For this reason, the Pro Derechos Humanos association, regrets incidents like this and above all that there are people who find themselves living on the streets in adverse weather conditions.

This association, together with two score more, call upon the City Hall to provide a decent space for these people; nothing special, just somewhere where they can find a bed, a shower and shelter from the cold that washes down from the Sierra Nevada and flows through the streets at night.

It also should be somewhere where they can bring their dog – most have them – and somewhere where they can leave their scant belongings.

A volunteer belonging to the association, Carmen Caballos, explained that on one night they found 46 people sleeping on the streets and that the hostel at Palacio de Deportes had up to 138 people sleeping there during the lockdown.

Editorial comment: During the economic disaster of 2008 many middle-class families found themselves living on the street, searching for food in supermarket, rubbish hoppers. Not in a million years did they think before this befell them that this could happen to them… just the same as you and I, sitting at home this Saturday, secure in the knowledge that it could never happen to us.

(News: City & Metropolitan Area, Granada, Andalucia)