A decade of housing and hope

Spin Time began in October 2013 when housing activists occupied an abandoned Italian government building in Rome. It evolved into a social laboratory serving families excluded by poverty and homelessness.

The Church steps in with support

Sister Adriana Domenici and auxiliary bishops provided pastoral care from the start. In 2019, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, personally restored the building's electricity after it was cut off.

A model of Gospel nonviolence

Spin Time became a meeting place for social movements, religious communities, and associations. In 2024, L'Osservatore Romano called it the 'Spin Time model' of collaboration between residents, volunteers, the Church, and institutions.

Services that changed lives

The community ran food banks, free co-working spaces, a hairdresser, a recording studio, and educational programs. Dozens of associations shared projects serving the city's most vulnerable people.

Fire forces families onto streets

On July 29, a small fire forced residents and associations to evacuate. The property was sealed by court order, leaving families camping outside while awaiting permission to return home.

Property owners block return

The building's owners rejected the city's purchase offer, preferring to develop a luxury hotel. Cardinal Vicar Baldassare Reina intervened but negotiations failed against the owners' financial interests.

Pope Francis backs the fight

Pope Francis told Spin Time residents: 'Land, housing, and work are sacred rights. It is worthwhile to fight for them.' His support underscores the Church's commitment to defending vulnerable communities.

“Land, housing, and work are sacred rights. It is worthwhile to fight for them.”

More than an occupation

Spin Time represents Gospel-inspired nonviolent resistance to injustice and exclusion. Dispersing the community would destroy the living network that made transformation possible.