The Govern de les Illes Balears on 3 September 2026 began the conversion in Felanitx of the former hospice to create eight public rental homes. According to the regional government, people over 65 who have been registered as residents of Felanitx for at least ten years will be given priority in allocation. The homes will be managed by the Institut Balear de l’Habitatge (IBAVI) .
The work concerns the rear section of the former facility Mare de Déu de Sant Salvador, which the Ajuntament de Felanitx has transferred to the IBAVI. The first phase of construction will involve partial demolition and safety work. The existing single rooms will then be converted into eight accessible homes, each with a living area, bedroom and bathroom. Shared facilities, including a kitchen, dining room and laundry facilities, are also planned. The aim is to expand the supply of affordable housing for older local households and make good use of a centrally located existing building.
The Balearic government presents the project as part of its social housing strategy. Local and regional allocation criteria are intended to ensure that people whose main home is permanently in Felanitx receive particular consideration. The project does not change the general eligibility requirements for publicly subsidised rental housing in the Illes Balears ; the priority adds a local criterion for the new group of homes.
On the day construction began, the regional government did not provide final details on the budget or schedule. The project description states that the work will respect the existing structure and will focus in particular on upgrading the building and adapting it to current housing and safety standards. The Ajuntament de Felanitx supports the conversion as a way to tackle vacancy and stabilise the municipality’s housing supply.
The project is limited in scale, but signals a direction: the public sector is investing in small, locally based homes that address the needs of a clearly defined group. Whether and how quickly further projects of this kind follow will depend on available funding, technical planning and cooperation between municipalities and the IBAVI. For Felanitx, construction getting under way is a concrete step towards improving the provision of affordable local housing for older residents.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).