The temporary shelter for homeless people in Portimão was reopened on December 7th, announced the Portimão City Council.
«Located in the heart of the city, and open daily until April next year, from 20pm to 00am, the facilities have recently benefited from improvements to provide greater comfort to users, with the capacity to accommodate up to 8 people», according to the municipality.
This is an «important social response that has been adopted since the Christmas season and during the winter period», which is managed by MAPS – Movement to Support AIDS Problems, with financial support of 32 thousand euros from the municipality, within the scope of NPISA – Portimão Homeless Planning and Intervention Center.
This amount is intended to cover expenses associated with the proper functioning of the now reactivated shelter.
«Through financial support from the municipality, MAPS ensures human resources (two night helpers), cleaning of the space, food support, laundry treatment and electricity and water expenses, with reception services being made available to users, light meal, sleep and shower. The remaining partner entities provide material resources in accordance with their availability and whenever justified within the scope of the shelter's operation», according to Portimão City Council.
The temporary shelter is the result of investment by the Municipality and the work carried out by NPISA of Portimão, «which since 2020 has provided this assistance to homeless people during the cold months, as long as they are marked at the Center or validated by MAPS, also responsible for the technical work of socio-professional integration of beneficiaries».
The Portimão NPISA was created on July 6, 2020, following the National Strategy for the Integration of Homeless People 2017-2023 and with a logic of local action, «basing its intervention model on the premise of profitability of human and financial resources, as well as the need to avoid duplication of responses and qualify intervention in terms of prevention of homelessness and monitoring of users, focusing on the individual, family and community ».
The nucleus brings together several local and public entities, such as the Parish Councils of Portimão, Alvor and Mexilhoeira Grande, the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve – Hospital de Portimão (CHUA), the Association for Family Planning (APF), the Red Cross Portuguese – Delegation of Portimão, GRATO – Support Group for Drug Addicts and the Santas Casas da Misericórdia of Alvor and Portimão.
«A homeless person is one who, regardless of their nationality, racial or ethnic origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic condition and physical and mental health condition, is homeless, living in the space public, housed in an emergency shelter, with their location in a precarious location, or without a home, being in temporary accommodation designated for this purpose», states the municipality.
In a logic of interinstitutional partnership and integrated response to homeless people in the city, «NPISA provides important resources to people who are homeless, namely food, personal hygiene, health, accommodation, social assistance , laundry and social barbershop, without forgetting the important proximity role played by street teams».
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