The Spanish corralas – in pictures

A stencil on the wall of Corrala Utopía. 'Ni gente sin casa, ni casas sin gente' (No people without houses, no houses without people) has become the official slogan of the corrala movement Photograph: Dave Stelfox for the Guardian

Corrala Utopía is the first of a network of buildings in Seville occupied by familes who have been evicted from their homes as a result of the Spanish economic crisis Photograph: Dave Stelfox for the Guardian

Corrala Liberación in the town of Alcalá de Guadaíra, 10km from Seville, was occupied in January. It was the first such community to be established outside the city centre Photograph: Dave Stelfox for the Guardian

Loli Rodriguez stands with her daughter outside Corrala Liberación in the town of Alcalá de Guadaíra, 10km from Seville. Occupied in January, it was the first such community to be established outside the city centre Photograph: Dave Stelfox for the Guardian

Toñi Rodriguez, 44, was a key organiser of the occupation of Corrala Utopía. 'Before coming here I was sleeping in my car and my son was living with my mother. Every morning I used to get up at 6am to take him to school. I thought I was going to lose him to the social services. I needed to find a place for us to live. It was either live in the street or do something else' Photograph: Dave Stelfox for the Guardian

Francisco Rodriguez, 55, pictured with his wife Agustina, 58, and their son Felix, 18: 'When we lost our home we were sent to a hostel. It was no place for families. It was like living in a jail. We feel much better here because there is a sense of unity between all of us. Everyone knows everyone and although the situation is bad, we all help each other when we can' Photograph: Dave Stelfox for the Guardian

Manoli Cortés, 65, was evicted from her home after falling into mortgage arrears. She was one of the first residents to move in to Corrala Utopía and is a central figure in its organisation. 'Life can be hard here, but in another way it is good. Before coming here, we all used to live in our separate homes, but now we help each other out and share things.' Photograph: Dave Stelfox for the Guardian

Raquel Machuca, 30, with her children Jessica, nine, Zayda, seven, Jose Manuel, 13 and four-month-old Raquel. 'The government is doing nothing to help us, so there will be more occupations. It's very simple. If there are empty houses all over the city and thousands of people with nowhere to live, those buildings need to be used' Photograph: Dave Stelfox for the Guardian

Primi Perez, 34, prepares the petrol generator that powers his apartment in Corrala Utopía. As this is a very expensive source of electricity – roughly €5 for just two hours – he shares the costs with a neighbour Photograph: Dave Stelfox for the Guardian

Manoli Cortés, 65, centre, and her son Raoul speak to residents of Corrala Utopía at an assembly for the entire corrala movement. 'This is a collective project,' she says, 'and, in some ways, it's like we've gone back in time. It's like living in a small village in a city' Photograph: Dave Stelfox for the Guardian

Tatiana Martín and Primi Perez talk by candlelight in their apartment. Two weeks after the building was occupied, the local authority took the decision to cut off the building's electricity. A number of flats use petrol generators to provide power, but the cost of fuel leads most residents to make do with other, cheaper sources of light for the majority of the time Photograph: Dave Stelfox for the Guardian

Aguasanta Quero, 38, collects water from a standpipe outside Corrala Utopía. Despite residents applying for collective billing for the building, their water supply has been cut off and a public fountain installed nearby Photograph: Dave Stelfox for the Guardian

Aguasanta, Toñi and Vanesa Arias make an early-morning water collection. When Corrala Utopía's utilities were shut off by the local authorities, the community rallied under the slogan: 'Sin luz, sin agua y sin miedo' (Without light, without water and without fear). Photograph: Dave Stelfox for the Guardian