On Monday, the President of the Regional Government of the Azores said that it is fundamental that the regional services of social assistance reinforce their proximity to the populations and individuals that are experiencing difficulties caused by the national and international socioeconomic crises.
Carlos César said, “Teams of social workers have to work in the field, closer to people, acting by anticipation, identifying problematic cases and doing prevention work so that, as time passes, they can help needy families and find solutions that enable them surpass any possible difficulties that may afflict them.”
Speaking at the foundation-stone ceremony for the Multifunction Social Services Building of the Casa do Povo (peoples’ house) da Praia do Norte, on the island of Faial, the President of the Regional Government said that this new infrastructure will enable greater proximity with the population. He added that this project demonstrates how local initiative can be conjoined with efforts from the parish council, the smallest on the island, and those of Horta City Hall and the Regional Government.
The building will cost more than half a million euros and it will include diverse social and health services and it will provide home assistance, for which it has a laundry.
Carlos César took the opportunity to announce that the Regional Government intends to make home assistance services available on weekends, further enhancing a service that helps around eight thousand persons. The institutions that provide such home assistance services received governmental support in the order of more than twelve million euros.
However, in addition to the expansion in the provision of home assistance services, through which the government aims to reduce the institutionalisation of the elderly, the Regional Government also wishes to increase the incomes of non-dependent elderly. With this aim in mind, the government will increase the income-supplement for the elderly and the assistance funds of the Social Integration Income (RSI).
With these concerns in mind, the President responded to criticisms of the RSI: He said that such criticisms are irresponsible and explained that “more than fifty percent of persons that benefit from it are under 18 years, hence legally unable to work, and individuals who are older than sixty-five years old, that is, the elderly.”
He said that, therefore, the RSI helps “many people and provides substantial help in improving their incomes, above all, for the elderly population or families that have in their midst elderly persons that must be assisted.”
The Multifunction Building of the Social Services of Casa do Povo of Praia do Norte should be concluded in a period of ten months.