"If it was urgent, now it is emerging". Faro it will have a Social Emergency Accommodation Centre, with a total capacity of 49 beds. The project, which is the responsibility of MAPS, will be built in two vacant buildings belonging to the Regional Directorate of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Algarve (DRAPAlg), in Patacão, and responds to a need that has long been identified.
The Chamber of Faro This Thursday, June 18, was the scene of the signing of a cooperation protocol between the Municipality and MAPS – Support Movement for the Aids Problem.
The two buildings, belonging to DRAPAlg, were transferred to MAPS, the main promoter of the project. The Chamber of Faro, in turn, will pay the monthly rent of around 3 euros.
The Algarve Social Emergency Accommodation Centre, which will be the first in the region, will have a maximum capacity of 49 beds, 20 of temporary accommodation, of three months, under a protocol with Social Security, and 5 of emergency accommodation , given away to the Chamber of Faro, but whose number is not fixed.
The rest have not yet been allocated and, according to Fábio Simão, MAPS president, "any municipality that is available can get in touch." "If there is funding, our goal is to have a full capacity," he said.
This center will be able to accommodate homeless people, vulnerable families or people who have been evicted. There will even be 4 rooms designed to welcome families.
The center will have 17 rooms, two living rooms, changing rooms, a cafeteria, technical offices, as well as a room for professional training.
“The goal is that no one spends more than 24 hours on the street. Unfortunately, we know that this project, by itself, will never be enough, but it will be a beginning and that is our goal. Who knows, we could be a point of reference here, with a form of work that is multiplied and spreads to other municipalities in the Algarve», explained Fábio Simão, MAPS president, to journalists.
After having started in August 2017, this entire project has today taken an important step. Even so, what is essential is missing: to proceed with the necessary works in the two buildings, visibly degraded.
“We are starting as far as possible. Now, we are creating everything to prepare the space fence», said Fábio Simão.
The works are budgeted at around 500 thousand euros, a “value far from reality” by MAPS. “We are going to resort a lot to volunteering and, above all, our goal is patronage in the purchase of construction materials. Another idea is to be able to buy at cost price», he explained.
For now, there are already «some responses» positive from companies, but «less than we expected».
“We are fighting for it. We have been sending out a lot of e-mails and we also hope that it will perhaps be possible for us to visit the factories themselves to present the project and ask for more direct support,” he said.
The idea is just one: to allow “the work to be done as quickly as possible”.
«We always had the desire to open until the end of the year: we always had that goal. Everyone tells me it's impossible, but I still haven't given up hope. We have a lot of desire, I have a highly motivated team, ready to help», he added.
At a time when the Covid-19 pandemic is already having its effects on an economic level, this initiative, in support of those in greatest need, gains even more significance.
“This project is not about the pandemic, but this situation may increase the need for help. Our wish was for it to start working tomorrow, but it will take some time”, explained Rogério Bacalhau, president of the Chamber of Faro.
As for "the problem of the homeless", the mayor said that this "is really a problem" and that, in his council, "has worsened in recent times."
According to Rogério Bacalhau, to the «about 30» homeless people who were previously mentioned, there are now «more 22».
Some are from the county of Faro, others "went here because they were aware of the aid," he said. The mayor guaranteed that everyone will be supported, as long as they so wish.
Margarida Flores, director of the District Center of Faro Social Security also attended the presentation of this project, expressing their joy for this initiative.
"Today is a particularly happy day for me," he said. The official also guaranteed "full support" from Social Security to the project, not forgetting the "core" role of the municipality.
Pedro Valadas Monteiro, Algarve's regional director for Agriculture and Fisheries, also expressed his satisfaction that this “complicated process” has already managed to reach “this point”.
It's just that, concluded the mayor Rogério Bacalhau, despite being born in Faro, this Center is an «advantage for the Algarve».
Anyone who wants to help MAPS with this project can contact us on 289 887 190.
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