Comunidad Activa - ABD

Employment and social support

Comunidad Activa is a project of Grupo ABD (Asociación Bienestar y Desarrollo) for people experiencing vulnerability and significant barriers to finding work. It offers employment guidance and family support, combining help with job placement with social resources and community-based assistance.

The project began in 2011 in the La Torrassa neighborhood of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, started by a group of local women. Since then, it has served more than 1,400 people and supported more than 1,000 job placements.

Services and activities

• Career guidance
• Connecting job seekers with employers
• Job-specific and transferable-skills training
• Digital literacy
• Social support with food, housing, utilities, and school supplies
• Energy-use counseling
• Community participation

How employment support works

Each person's employment plan has three stages: an initial assessment and employability review; ongoing, one-on-one coaching to strengthen skills and independence; and support with finding and keeping a job. Most participants are referred by municipal social services or other ABD programs, though referrals can also come through the Incorpora network of Obra Social La Caixa.

Services for employers

Comunidad Activa works with local businesses and offers services at no additional cost. These include recruiting candidates with specific job skills and education levels, professional support during hiring and after a candidate starts work, advice on hiring incentives, and corporate volunteering and social-responsibility activities.

Selected programs

Projects include addressing problematic drug use, employment support for women facing particular vulnerability, dual-training programs, and self-employment support through Energía Activa. Comunidad Activa also participates in the Incorpora program of Fundación “la Caixa” and the MAIS program (Active Employment-Insertion Measures), with support from the Government of Catalonia.

2026 training

For 2026, the project lists a course titled “Professional Cleaning and Support for Institutional Food Service.” It combines technical training, transferable and digital skills, and 80 hours of unpaid work-based training at a company.

Locations

• Comunidad Activa Sants: 204 Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, Sants-Montjuïc, 08004 Barcelona. Phone: 610 703 645.
• Comunidad Activa Hospitalet: 57 Mare de Déu dels Desemparats Street, 08903 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona. Phone: 93 546 02 95.