Rome authorities are searching for accommodation for hundreds of people left homeless after talks to save the occupied Spin Time building collapsed, according to The Guardian.
Around 400 residents were evicted from the 10-storey building in Rome’s Esquilino district after its private owner rejected the city council’s offer to buy the property.
The building, occupied since 2013, had provided housing and social services for hundreds of people.
According to The Guardian, more than 200 people, including elderly residents, children and those with health conditions, have been sleeping in tents outside the building during Italy’s ongoing heatwave.
One child was taken to hospital after suffering breathing difficulties.
Rome’s council, with support from Catholic charity Caritas, is now trying to find alternative accommodation.
Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said the owner’s response to the purchase proposal had been an “irrevocable no”. He added that despite presenting what he believed was the best possible offer, he “had the impression that the decision had already been taken”.
The eviction has reignited debate over Italy’s approach to occupied buildings under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government.
Long-time resident Marco Perilli said those forced out would continue their protest.
“We are trying to understand how things will proceed but we resist and will continue to resist. The owner refusing the offer means Spin Time is over, but for us it’s not over – we will find another space,” he told The Guardian.
