The shelter for the homeless in the north wing of the former Military Maintenance, in Beato, has been operational since Thursday, replacing the Santa Barbara Barracks, in Arroios.
“The new Municipal Emergency Reception Centre (CAME) was installed in record time following the agreement signed between the Lisbon City Council and the Government on 29 February. This agreement provided for the emptying of the Santa Bárbara barracks within 30 days,” the municipality reported. , in reaction to the Lusa agency, pointing out that the new area has been operational since Thursday.
The councillor of the Left Bloc (BE), Beatriz Gomes Dias, questioned the mayor, Carlos Moedas (PSD), about the situations in which it is necessary to transfer the homeless to the north wing of the former Military Maintenance, specifying that the transfer to “an improvised place, without the promised works”, with legal proceedings on the reaction of the reception, adding to the lack of hot water and electricity in the building.
In response to Lusa, the Lisbon City Council (CML) stated that the indication it has is that “at that time everything will be operational and will function in the most productive way imaginable”, noting, however, that “some express conditions could arise”. , in an update of this magnitude, but which has always been temporarily intervened and corrected”.
According to the CML, Beato’s CMEA has a team on site for any technical issues that may become known during the delivery process.
“Right now, all [technical issues] are pretty much solved, which allows the area to function at its best,” he said.
Priority
Homelessness “is a priority for the CML”, the municipality reinforced, highlighting the proposal of the Municipal Plan for the Homeless 2024/2030, which foresees an investment of 70 million euros in this area until 2030, and stressing that the chamber works “to make Lisbon a city that cares, a city that cares about those who love it to the fullest and leaves no one behind”.
Lusa also asked the CML whether, in the face of the change of government [from the PS to the PSD], it would revoke the resolution to move the CAME from the Santa Bárbara barracks, in Arroios, to the north wing of the former army maintenance, in Beato, since in September 2023 the president of the CML said that, for the municipality, this reaction remained in this space, But he didn’t get any reaction.
Regarding the position of the parish council of Beato, chaired by Silvino Correia (PS), which “does not respect the council’s resolution to move more homeless people to this territory of Lisbon”, the CML indicated that it had no comments to make.
In this context, the BE board also warned that customer intervention teams, adding methadone vans, will have to cut their hours in half, noting that the CML assumes part of the investment for such interventions.
According to the CML, this investment is explained through the Institute of Addictive Behaviors and Addictions (ICAD), on the legal amounts through the past government, in which the chamber complies with the payment of 20% of the established global amount.
“Any adjustment will depend on the government and the ICAD and not on the CML, which has nevertheless expressed serious considerations about the situation,” the municipality stressed.
On March 15, the president of the CML announced that the new homeless area in the north wing of the former Military Maintenance would open “around Easter. “
This is the transfer of the accommodation centre of the Santa Bárbara barracks, inaugurated in 2021, in the context of the emergency of the Covid-19 pandemic, to supply people in street situations.
The opening of the area is the result of an investment of 1. 2 million euros, through a resolution of the past executive, under the presidency of the PS, which governed with an agreement with the BE, knowing that it would be temporary.
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