Homeless in Spain
REUTERS/Susana Vera
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Carmen Aurora Sastre Castilla, 49, sits next to her family's belongings and her dog Tony, on the street that has been their home for the past two weeks in Madrid June 8, 2012. Carmen Aurora, her two sisters Rosa and Antonia, and her 77-year-old mother Carmen were evicted from their rental apartment on April 24 after Rosa, the sole breadwinner, lost her job and couldn't pay for the monthly rent. Social services provided them temporary lodging for 15 days, and after that they found themselves on the street. They all sleep cramped in a tiny space outside a store nearby. "If I could find a job again and we could get social rent, I'm sure we could make it work again," says Rosa. As of now, the family survives on their mother's widow's pension, as well as the little money they get from their visually impaired sister Antonia's welfare allowance, and whatever Carmen Aurora can scrape by working as a concierge at a nearby building. "The people in this neighbourhood are very nice. Many bring us food and try to make us more comfortable here," says Rosa.2012.
