Rome authorities are currently working to secure alternative housing for hundreds of people who have been left without shelter during an extreme heatwave. The crisis follows the forced closure of Spin Time, a prominent center for housing and social assistance, amid a broader government crackdown on squatted properties led by the administration of Giorgia Meloni.
The evacuation of the building occurred on July 29, triggered by a minor fire that was quickly extinguished by residents before it could spread. Following the incident, police locked the premises to conduct safety checks, eventually placing the building under two judicial seizure orders—one related to the fire and another stemming from a long-running legal battle by the owner to reclaim the property. An interior ministry spokesperson confirmed that the owner has now regained possession of the building in accordance with the law.
While some residents found temporary accommodation with friends or family, more than 200 people, including the elderly and those with health issues, have been forced to sleep in tents outside the site. One child was recently hospitalized after experiencing breathing difficulties due to the harsh conditions. About one-quarter of the displaced residents are children.
The situation has reignited intense political debate regarding the status of occupied buildings in Italy. Critics of the government have pointedly questioned why the Meloni administration has targeted Spin Time while allowing the neofascist group CasaPound to maintain its headquarters in a state-owned building in the same neighborhood for over two decades.
Rome’s leftwing city council, with the assistance of the Catholic charity Caritas, is actively seeking solutions for the displaced. Mayor Roberto Gualtieri expressed frustration over the collapse of negotiations to save the hub, noting that the building's owner cited unspecified legal weaknesses in the proposed rescue plan. Gualtieri characterized the loss of Spin Time—which provided essential services like a food bank, restaurant, and co-working space over the last decade—as a failure of the welfare system established in the 1990s. The center had served as a vital lifeline for many, including long-term residents like Marco Perilli, a construction worker who turned to the community after becoming homeless following a divorce.
