From The Times
May 11, 2009

Spanish discontent as soup kitchens spring up

Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards are facing ruin as bankruptcies and unemployment rise and the economy heads for meltdownGraham Keeley in Madrid

Faced with losing his home if he cannot find €6,000 (£5,350) by the end of this week, Javier MartÃ*nez has resorted to desperate measures: the unemployed father-of-four is selling his own flat and throwing in another, free.

The three-bedroom apartment in Tarazona, near Zaragoza in eastern Spain, is on the market for only €57,000. The former construction project manager is including a one-bedroom flat that he had been letting in an attempt to entice a buyer.

“I need to find the cash by May 15 or I may be declared bankrupt. I must provide for my children,â€