Fifty homeless people, including 47 Timorese immigrants, were welcomed in Lisbon, after bad weather this month, which also forced alternative housing solutions for 46 people, according to municipal information.
At the request of the Lusa agency, the Lisbon City Council updated the information on the assistance provided to the homeless after the heavy rains on the 7th, 8th, 12th, 13th and 20th of this month, noting that 50 people were received, number that increases by 20 those planned for December 19.
“The Center for Planning and Intervention for the Homeless (NPISA) of Lisbon, in close collaboration with local partners, created additional vacancies in Temporary Accommodation Centers that allowed the reception of 50 homeless people,” reported the statement of the autarky, and added that the centers were “also in operation during the day” and that they sensitized “users to remain in the spaces, avoiding non-essential movements in the city.”
In the response sent to Lusa, the city council also mentions that it paid “special attention to the group of immigrants of Timorese origin who spent the night on the street” and that, together with the High Commission for Migrations (ACM), welcomed “47 people” belonging to this group. “Other Timorese citizens preferred not to accept any of the solutions offered,” it still works.
At the same time, the municipality says it had to “find alternative housing solutions for about 46 people, who were forced to temporarily leave their homes due to bad weather.”
The intense and persistent rains that fell for several days in December caused flooding, damage to homes and businesses, fallen trees and closure of roads, mainly affecting the districts of Lisbon, Setúbal, Portalegre and Santarém.
In response, the Lisbon Chamber activated a contingency plan for homeless people and announced the approval of a package of support measures worth 1.3 million euros.
The Lisbon City Council approved on the 21st the mechanism that will allow those affected by the floods to request economic support to deal with the material damage caused by the storms, which has a fund of 2.3 million euros.
Source: Observadora
