“The new Municipal Emergency Reception Center (CAEM) was set up in record time following the agreement signed between Lisbon City Council and the Government on February 29th. This agreement provided for the vacancy of the Santa Bárbara Barracks within 30 days”, indicated the municipality, in response to the Lusa agency, noting that the new space has been operating since Thursday.

The councillor of the Bloco de Esquerda (BE), Beatriz Gomes Dias, questioned the mayor, Carlos Moedas (PSD), about the conditions under which the transfer of homeless people to the north wing of the former Military Maintenance, stating that the move was made to “an improvised location, without the promised works”, with complaints about the reception response, including a 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 this moment everything will be operational and working in the best way possible”, noting, however, that “some specific situation may have arisen, in a change of this magnitude, but which was always promptly intervened and corrected”.

According to the CML, CAEM in Beato has a team on site to resolve any technical issues that may be identified in the transfer process.

“At this moment, all [the technical issues] are practically resolved, allowing the space to function to its fullest”, he assured.

Priority

Homeless people “are a priority for the CML”, reinforced the municipality, highlighting the proposal for the Municipal Plan for Homeless People 2024/2030, which foresees an investment of 70 million euros in this area until 2030, and highlighting that the chamber works to “make Lisbon a city that cares, a city that takes care of those who need it most and leaves no one behind”.

Lusa also questioned the CML whether, considering the change of Government [from the PS to the PSD], it would consider reversing the decision to relocate the CAEM from the Santa Bárbara Barracks, in Arroios, to the north wing of the former Military Maintenance, in Beato, since in September 2023 the president of the CML stated that, for the municipality, this response remained in that space, but received no response.

Regarding the position of the Beato Parish Council, chaired by Silvino Correia (PS), which “does not support the council's decision to transfer more homeless people to this Lisbon territory”, the CML indicated that it has no comment to make.

In this context, the BE council also warned that the consumption response teams, including the methadone vans, had to reduce their hours by half, highlighting that the CML is responsible for part of the financing of these responses.

According to the CML, this financing is defined by the Institute for Addictive Behaviours and Addictions (ICAD), based on the amounts authorised by the previous Government, in which the chamber complies with the payment of 20% of the total amount that is established.

“Any change will always depend on the Government and ICAD and not on the CML, which has, despite everything, expressed serious concerns about the situation”, pointed out the municipality.

On March 15, the president of the CML said that the new accommodation centre for homeless people in the north wing of the former Military Maintenance would open “around Easter”.

At issue is the relocation of the accommodation centre in the Santa Bárbara Barracks, which was opened in 2021, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic emergency, to provide support to people experiencing homelessness.

The opening of the space resulted from an investment of 1.2 million euros, by decision of the previous 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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