The Municipality of Albufeira will improve accessibility to lot 19 of Quinta da Palmeira after applying for the Housing Intervention Program (PIH).
The work to eliminate physical barriers to access to housing on lot 19, located on Rua da Oliveira, in Quinta da Palmeira, consists of changing the building's exterior door and installing a stairlift on the staircase, with the aim of improving accessibility for residents from the ground floor to the third floor.
The application, already approved, will be financed by the European Union, within the scope of the Recovery and Resilience Programme (RRP) with the granting of financial support for application in the execution of the work which, with a total investment of 21 euros, will receive a non-refundable incentive in the amount of 672,60 euros, corresponding to the application of the maximum rate (6.620,00%) on the amount of eligible expenses.
«The PIH aims to improve accessibility for people with disabilities and/or permanent incapacity, throughout the national territory, with a degree equal to or greater than 60 percent, duly certified based on the National Disability Table (Decree-Law no. 202/96, of October 23). It should be noted that the interventions can be carried out in the home of the owner or tenant, as well as in the home of the members of the household of the owner(s) or tenant(s) of the home», states the local authority.
The application falls within Component 3 – “Social Responses”, Investment RE – C03 – i02: 360º Accessibility, within the scope of the RRP (2021-2025 programming period), and is an investment in accordance with the European Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021 – 2030.
The Mayor emphasizes that Albufeira “is an inclusive municipality, which is concerned with eliminating all types of barriers: architectural, sensory and cognitive”.
“We work to make a difference in the lives of people with any type of limitation or disability, whether in terms of accessibility in public buildings, sidewalks, access to beaches, specific programs for blind and deaf people, of which the most paradigmatic example is the intervention in our Municipal Museum which, after the works, received the “Come In” seal, in the scope of Accessibility. We are fully aware of the difficulties that people have to face in their daily lives and how difficult and unfair it is to have limited autonomy within our own homes; hence the reason for our application”, he continues.
Cláudia Guedelha, councillor responsible for Social Action and Housing, adds that «the intervention, in block 19 of Quinta da Palmeira, once completed, will allow the entire house, including the common areas, to be accessible to residents with reduced mobility, both at the interior level – which does not require works – since the floor is flat and wide, with wide corridors and doors, the area of the house does not present obstacles and is well lit, which allows for good circulation, similar to what happens with the entrance to the building».
The intervention, which focuses exclusively on the building's exterior area, "will result in an effective gain in accessibility in the common access area to the home, as well as in improving the quality of life of residents with disabilities, thus contributing to an autonomous and independent life", he concluded.
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