Andalusia regional government lays out plan for evicted squatter families

The regional government of Andalusia on Monday presented a plan to find homes for 22 squatter families who were evicted from a Seville building at the weekend. 

The Andalusian administration plans to use six empty homes it has at its disposal, and has asked Seville municipal officials to make available 16 of the 528 unused properties it says the city has.

Former residents of the so-called La Utopía building have been protesting in front of Seville City Hall to demand that officials find them alternative homes. The families had been living in the building from which they were evicted on Sunday for the past two years.

Irma Blanco, spokeswoman for the residents, said they would continue their protest until they are offered alternative accommodation to the city's homeless shelter, which she called “absolute chaos.”

The city has “around 500 empty public properties" that it has not put to use, she said, adding that Seville officials have harassed the former residents of La Utopía for several years.