“Lisbon is the municipality where this problem has a most visible effect. Of the 10 thousand people in Portugal who are homeless, half are in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. And of these, 5000 are in the Lisbon area and more than 3000 in the municipality, of which 300 are homeless and are effectively on the streets, a number that increased after the covid-19 pandemic. We must have joint action between the municipalities and the Government”, stated Moedas, after a meeting that he considered “historic” with representatives of six municipalities in Greater Lisbon to reinforce the response to people in this situation.
Establishing “a task force”, “finding reception centers in other municipalities” that can accommodate the homeless in Lisbon and obtaining funding from the central State and Europe for the reception centers are the municipality’s next steps to solve a problem that has coming to thicken.
The “task force” will be carried out between technicians from the various municipalities who “are not talking every day” and will have “an articulation in the future”, explained the leader of the Lisbon municipality.
“The problems that exist in the municipality also belong to the other municipality and we will all work together. Resources exist at municipal level, but they are not enough. They must also be at national and European level”, he also said, adding that “this problem cannot be solved just with a roof, these people must have the dignity of work and inclusion in it”.
Moedas recalled that “there was a significant increase” in the number of homeless people in Lisbon and that, despite the capital having “greatly increased the number of shelter spaces”, from 400 to 1100, “even though the situation is increasing, the situation is worse”. “With the increase in the seriousness of the situation, I expected that Santa a Casa would also increase its action in this area and that did not happen. Historically we have had an excellent relationship with Santa Casa, but at this moment we need more help from this institution”, Moedas further appealed.
Only 5 of 18 municipalities invited to the meeting
The 18 municipalities in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area were invited to the meeting, but only five (Cascais, Oeiras, Almada, Barreiro, Seixal) attended, being represented by technicians or councilors from local authorities and two mayors, from Cascais and Oeiras. Amadora, Alcochete, Moita, Odivelas, Montijo, Loures, Palmela, Sintra, Sesimbra, Mafra, Setúbal, Vila Franca de Xira were not present.
The president of the Chamber of Oeiras, Isaltino Morais, said that the municipality he presides over has “around 120 people in this situation, of which 50 are already in Chamber apartments”, but, he stressed, “it is not possible” to resolve this problem without the state intervention.
“It is necessary for the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Security to be mobilized on this issue, because there are health problems, hospitalizations, issues of professional insertion. Therefore, it is not enough to distribute soup”, he warned, leaving messages to the President of the Republic.
“I would like to draw attention to the importance that the President of the Republic can have in this matter. It can’t just be palliatives, distributing meals or clothes, etc. It is necessary to find concrete solutions, create structures capable of welcoming and giving hope and a future to people who live in this situation”, he appealed, adding that “there are already solutions in Europe”.
Isaltino Morais also clarified to JN that the idea is “to create an information platform within the municipalities to have common strategies for resolving the problem of homelessness and present a proposal to the Government”, but did not confirm that it will provide accommodation for the homeless. -Lisbon shelter. “There is only a solution if the Government gets involved in this. If there is no coalition between chambers and the Government there is no solution to the problem”, he concluded.
