Life below zero under a highway


In a kind of cave that the Miño had dug under the national N-120, Narcissus Barreira it was expanding the space until gaining a sheltered place that is now 1.8 meters high. He sleeps inside the stone, curling up under the blankets and with the company of his dog Alien, unruly.

There he endures homeless life even when the temperature, like this week in Ourense, low of three and four degrees below zero. “I arrived on November 1, 2019, 26 months ago, and since then I have not had even a small cold”.

The fog anchored in the river bed intensifies the sensation of cold. The rumor of the Miño, which runs with more enthusiasm at the height of the Millennium Bridge, provides the soundtrack. “I love the noise”, assures Narciso. a flag of Portugal welcomes you to your precarious home. Some blinds and some sheets are the improvised closure.

He built some stairs and a garden area; took advantage of a pipe that had leaks to collect water. "This was a jungle," he shares. It is dedicated to bringing smiles, drawing illusion on the faces of parents and children. Since he arrived in Ourense, he has created giant soap bubbles. A few years ago, I was at one of the mall entrances. In recent times he goes to the Posío, the San Lázaro Park and Paz Nóvoa.

Under the platform of the N-120, which is used by thousands of vehicles a day and hundreds of runners, Narciso has a corner to cook with a cylinder, a mirror to clean yourself and several chairs to rest. At a lower level, near the bed, makes a fire sometimes to keep warm. "I work hard, look how many warm clothes I have," he says as he shows several garments as well as two sacks with blankets that the Hermanos Barros store has donated to him. “This for me is not living on the street, this is my house. For me, the shelter is like a prison,” he says.

Between 30 and 35 people in Ourense sleep on the street, in situations even more difficult than those of Narciso: portals, ATMs, buildings in ruins... It is a figure that varies and to which we must add the reality of the passers-by coming and going from other cities. A mobility that was reduced in the worst of the pandemic due to restrictions.

The causes are varied and adjusted to each person: "They are usually various traumatic or shock situations, sudden, that accumulate at a given moment and which, due to lack of support or social skills, they cannot cope with"


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Red Cross makes periodic outings to deliver basic necessities to these people, in addition to informing about the resources of different entities and administrations that are within their reach. The goal is to lend comprehensive care and being able to accompany the beneficiary until he or she manages to leave of that homeless situation. Having a roof is a basic right.

The usual profile is that of a single middle-aged man. The number of women has increased in recent years, until currently representing a percentage of around 25%. The causes that lead a person to live on the street or in substandard housing are varied, adjusted to individual circumstances.

In 2021, Red Cross assisted 227 people in the homeless project, a lower number than before the pandemic, because mobility was reduced. The entity did about 110 exits to the street to serve the same number of people

"They are usually several traumatic or shock situations, sudden, that accumulate at a given moment and which, due to lack of support or social skills, they cannot cope with," he says. Isis San Martin, social and technical educator of the Red Cross comprehensive care project for homeless people in Ourense, an initiative that the Xunta finances in the seven large cities.

No one is free from being able to suffer this situation. You do not know if the death of a relative, a divorce or a bad economic situation can make not knowing how to manage a critical moment and ending up on the street”, completes the specialist.

The entity attends to basic needs, with outputs that intensify during the cold snap –carry hot drinks, food, warm clothes, blankets, sleeping bags or mats– and also sets goals and advises on available resources, such as the Fogar do Transeúnte municipal shelter.

“We try to give them access to resources so that they can live autonomously and independently. Sometimes it is necessary to work on something as basic as hygiene or social skills, in a way that helps them lead a normalized life"


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“We try to get them to come and can make use of public services and those that the different entities make available to them”. The technicians and volunteers also take care of accompanying work, in medical appointments, administrative procedures, job interviews and even in the first days in the job. They also deal with finding a home or a residence, as well as to establish contact with the families to see if it is possible to recover the ties.

“We try to give them access to resources so that they can live autonomously and independently. Sometimes it is necessary to work on something as basic as hygiene or social skills, in a way that helps them lead a normal life, like any other. It is clear that the person has to want to go out and be in an ideal place”, explains the educator.

In 2021, the Red Cross assisted 227 people in the homeless project, a lower number than before the pandemic, because mobility was reduced. The entity made about 110 trips to the street to serve the same number of people.

“Giving up and giving up do not exist in my vocabulary”


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Arriving with hot coffee and a blanket creates a hospitable atmosphere. “Many times it is a starting point, a handshake to see what problems, barriers and opportunities there are. It gives us cause to pose things”, recognizes Isis Sanmartín.

The intervention of the entity has achieved success stories. Getting off the street is possible. The social educator lists several examples: “A woman who was in a critical situation got his own house thanks to the work with Cáritas, Sergas and the Anti-AIDS Committee. There is another person who got a place in a residence. A man entered a pension and once a month we go to see him to accompany him in procedures. Another woman who was homeless was hospitalized and we mediate with the family to resume contact, to the point that he returned with them”.

The cold punishes the skin but Nicanor smiles. The Red Cross brings him food and he thinks about how to organize himself. On Tuesday his plan was to cook pork ribs with pasta, “for me and my best friend” – he says while Alien barks – “who eats my food just like me”.

Winter makes life more complicated, but the soap bubble artist resolves: "Giving up and giving up don't exist in my vocabulary."

The cold continues after a Tuesday with -7.5 in Calvos and -3 in the city

On Wednesday and Thursday, the city of Ourense will have a minimum of -3º, the same as on Tuesday. The cold and the anticyclone continue, with morning mists indoors.

Calvos de Randín scored yesterday, again, the Galician minimum: -7.5. There were -7 in Xinzo and -6.9 in Verín early on Tuesday.



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