The opposition group of the Partido Popular (PP) in the town hall of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria accuses Mayor Carolina Darias of failing to respond to rising homelessness. Group leader Jimena Delgado cited current municipal records showing 204 people without a fixed address receiving support; 81 cases are in Isleta‑Puerto‑Guanarteme, 77 in the Centro, 25 in Ciudad Alta and 21 in Vegueta‑Cono Sur‑Tafira. Men account for 86.2 per cent of those recorded. The figures were supplied to the PP by the city council.
At the same time, the PP questions whether official records fully reflect the situation. Delgado cited an estimate published in April 2026 by the Obra Social de Acogida y Desarrollo, according to which more than 500 people sleep rough in the capital. In the opposition’s view, the difference suggests that the records are incomplete. The PP cites, among other factors, the fact that the city’s street outreach service has not carried out night-time visits since 2020.
Specifically, the PP criticises delays in opening the former Fábrica de Hielo as an accommodation and day centre, as well as the slow progress of the new municipal plan to tackle homelessness. The relevant commission has held just two meetings so far, Delgado said. The group is calling for additional support points and a single point of contact to speed up referrals to accommodation and assistance.
The accusations made on 21 August are directed at Mayor Darias’s administration. The report on which they are based did not include a response from the city. The governing majority and the opposition in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria have been arguing for months over the scale and staffing of social services. In the past, the PP has called for more centres and accused the city leadership of delaying investment.
The figures count different things: the municipal statistics cover cases receiving support from city services, while estimates by aid organisations generally count people sleeping in public spaces, who do not necessarily receive assistance. This discrepancy is not unusual in Spanish cities, but it makes trends harder to assess. Politically, it adds pressure to publish interim figures and set clearer deadlines for projects such as the Fábrica de Hielo.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).