Lagoa will receive a social response for the homeless through the existing cooperation protocol with the IPSS “O Companheiro”, which signed a collaboration protocol, last December, with the Social Security Institute, to implement this response in eight councils of the Algarve.
The municipality of Lagoa was awarded 10 beds under the National Strategy for the Integration of Homeless People 2017-2023, a response extended to the entire Algarve region which, in total, will provide 123 beds.
This is one of the axes of the Government's Strategy that involves the signing of collaboration protocols between Social Security and social institutions, in a model that will have the support of local authorities, also including the monitoring of technicians.
The initiative's main objective is “to take people off the street and give them the opportunity to pursue an alternative life project”, says the Lagoa municipality.
The National Strategy for the Integration of Homeless People 2017-2023 comprises three axes of intervention, which aim to "promote knowledge of the phenomenon of homeless people, information, awareness and education, the reinforcement of an intervention promoting the integration of these people, as well as the coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the initiative.
The first protocols to offer this response to the Algarve region «were signed about a year ago» and «have achieved great success with the occupation of more than 80% of the capacity to receive the homeless».
With this further important step in social integration, there are now eight municipalities in the Algarve that guarantee the existence of this social response: Albufeira, Faro, Lagoa, Lagos, Loulé, Portimão, Tavira and Vila Real de Santo António.
"Fortunately in our county we don't have many homeless people, but even so, it is important to have this answer for the cases that are identified and others that may arise", considers Luís Encarnação, president of the Lagoa Council.
“It is undoubtedly an important step for Lagoa – Inclusive City, which works daily to not leave any Lagooner behind”, concludes the mayor.
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