The Intervention Service for Wellbeing in Communities (SIBEC) is being expanded to improve relations, cohesion and wellbeing on the city’s public housing estates. The move will extend support to more communities with a closer, more specialised approach, particularly in neighbourhoods with greater social and urban diversity. For the first time, the service will cover the districts of Sants-Montjuïc and Sant Martí, while also increasing its presence in Ciutat Vella, Sant Andreu and Nou Barris.
Three new teams are being set up, bringing total staff to 18 professionals: one coordinator, eleven social workers and six newly created building supervisors, a role designed to improve maintenance and assess community needs. Altogether, SIBEC will now run eight intervention teams.
Prevention and community support
The service aims to anticipate and prevent problems in housing blocks with high levels of social and urban diversity. Since its launch in June 2023, SIBEC has worked in 46 communities covering more than 1,000 homes. In 2024 alone, it has conducted 2,590 interventions, including social reports, identification of maintenance issues and referrals to other council services. It has also organised 24 community activities to encourage participation and strengthen neighbourhood ties.
A commitment to local social management
The SIBEC is based on a preventative, community-focused and inclusive model that promotes shared responsibility and resident participation. Its teams work closely with social services, local organisations and safety representatives, focusing on mediation, fostering good relations and monitoring building upkeep.
The SIBEC expansion is part of Pla Viure, the city’s long-term strategy that puts housing at the centre of public policy. The plan is built around three main goals: making the right to housing universal, renovating and improving the housing stock with sustainability and accessibility criteria, and addressing the needs arising from social and demographic vulnerability.