The chair of inclusion of the UMA (Malaga University) published on Wednesday its second study in collaboration with the city council and social organisations working ... to support homeless people: 'Homelessness in the city of Malaga: current situation and 2024-2026 trends'.
While two years ago, researchers led by Professors Rafael Arredondo and María de las Olas Palma found that there were 185 people living on the streets of Malaga, in the report that concerns 2026, the figure had risen to 302, representing an increase of 63.24 %.
Meanwhile, the number of homeless people receiving care in centres remains at a similar level: the current figure of 345 compared with 327 in 2024. This increase is due to the inclusion in the count of people who have left care and those receiving support from Cáritas' Casa la Merced.
Consequently, almost half of Malaga's homeless people live directly on the streets, without even the shelter of a care facility. The 63% increase in the most severe form of homelessness, coupled with the fact that the number of people accommodated in shelters has barely risen, suggests that the number of places various organisations can offer has not increased sufficiently to accommodate more people in need.
Causes
Rafael Arredondo, one of the study's coordinators, attributes the rise in the number of homeless people to a lack of housing: "It is a compelling reason," he says. The report has been carried out "against a backdrop of profound changes in the dynamics and conditions of access to housing, with increasing difficulties in securing adequate, stable and affordable accommodation".
Arredondo also points out that, on this occasion, "a significant proportion of people living on the streets are in paid employment but cannot afford a room". "There are also people who are staying in a shelter even though they work, but cannot afford to pay rent," he says.
A salary or payment for some form of activity or work is the main source of income for most of these people, followed by the minimum living wage (IMV) and money they get from begging on the streets.
Specifically, among those living on the streets, the main sources are wages from a job (32.2%), begging on the streets (mentioned by 26.1%) and the IMV (20.7%), while aid from organisations accounts for only 14.4%.
The group of researchers who compiled the report arrived at a figure of 302 people living on the streets following fieldwork carried out on 14 May between 9pm and 11pm. This was a city-wide survey of Malaga involving around 300 researchers, more comprehensive than the one conducted two years ago.
During this survey, they found that the majority of homeless people (90%) are in the city centre: "That is where the resources are, the soup kitchens, the Eroski, El Corte Inglés: areas where they feel more protected and less at risk."
The researchers collected data on the people who were at any of the centres during the week of 11-17 May.
Who lives on the streets?
Arredondo summarises the profile of a homeless person as follows: a man over the age of 40 who faces difficulties in accessing housing, has precarious employment and encounters administrative hurdles.
As for their nationality, 45% are Spanish, 16.3% are from the rest of Europe and 31.6% are from Africa.
The proportion of Africans and South Americans living on the streets has risen over the last two years, but the UMA professor states that most of these people had been in the country for more than four years. They are not recent arrivals: he believes that those who become homeless are the most vulnerable people and in Spain migrants are among the most vulnerable.
Related story
Furthermore, of all homeless people in Malaga, both those living on the streets and those staying in a shelter, 81% are men. The figure rises to 84.1% when we only take into account those living on the streets.
It is also worth noting that 31.7% of this group have completed secondary education (26% among those living on the streets) and 4% have a university education. Barely 18% have no formal education, a figure that rises to 26.2% among those living rough.
The data also points to a significant trend towards chronic homelessness: 23.14% of homeless people, out of the 647 who make up this group, have been in this situation for more than ten years, representing an increase of nearly 10%, compared with the 13.5% recorded in 2024.
Of the 302 people living on the streets, 27.5% have been in this situation for over a decade, suggesting that prolonged exposure to the elements tends to alienate people from accommodation resources.
The use of substances other than tobacco stands at 67.8% among people living in shelters and falls to 34.1% among those living on the streets.