The story of Pilar, a woman with 34 years of benefits who lost her job, family support and ended up living on the street, illustrates a reality of social exclusion that continues to be present in several European countries, including Portugal, where thousands of people face similar situations despite long contributory careers.
After losing her job and family ties, Pilar was left without any alternative housing. He currently lives in the San Isidro Reception Center, in Madrid, and is looking for a job to rebuild his life and regain his autonomy.
Pilar started working very early and accumulated 34 years of Social Security deductions. Throughout her life she has worked in various professional sectors, but a succession of personal and financial problems pushed her into an extreme situation. “I spent three years sleeping on a bench,” he said in an interview with Cadena COPE, cited by the Spanish digital newspaper Noticias Trabajo.
Family betrayal
“I always worked. I had my family”, he explained. However, a conflict ended up breaking all family ties. “I gave the inheritance to my family and they left me on the street,” he said.
This rupture was accompanied by a health problem that further aggravated his situation. “I’m an alcoholic and, in addition to work, when you lose it, you lose everything”, she confessed, describing the beginning of a process of exclusion from which it has been very difficult to get out.
Despite everything, Pilar emphasizes that she never stopped working whenever she had the opportunity. Among his last jobs, he remembers caring for a disabled couple, working cleaning hotels and working in kitchens. “I worked a lot”, he reinforced, according to the same source.
Three years on the street and life in a shelter
After three years living on the street, Pilar, with 34 years of discounts, finally found a place in a shelter, San Isidro, in Madrid, where she shares a room with two other women. She recognizes that today she feels a little safer, but admits that coexistence is difficult. “It’s very conflicting,” he explained, adding that “I’ve already been attacked twice.”
Still, he tries to stay away from conflicts. “I’m not one to get into trouble, I try to stay away,” he said. Pilar has little personal support. His parents have passed away and his relationship with his siblings is severed. “The only one I have is my sister, but it’s like I don’t have one. I don’t want to know about them,” he said.
Despite everything he has experienced, the objective remains clear, according to: getting back to work and regaining independence. “As soon as I found a suitable job, I would save a little to get out of here”, he explained. He is grateful for the support he receives at the center, but insists that he wants to move forward by his own means. “If I can get out of here, I will.”
A reality that also exists in Portugal
In Portugal, stories like Pilar’s are not rare. Many homeless people have long commutes and discounts, but end up excluded due to family disruptions, health problems, addictions or sudden loss of income.
As in Spain, Portuguese reception centers often function as an emergency response, while reintegration through work and access to housing continues to be one of the biggest challenges in combating social exclusion.
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