New Lisbon centre for homeless people open despite teething problems
A new accommodation centre for homeless people in Lisbon, set up in the north wing of the former military maintenance facility in Beato, in the east of the city, has been up and running for a week, replacing the former gendarme barracks in the Arroios area that was previously used for the purpose, Lisbon city council has announced.
“The new Municipal Emergency Reception Centre (CAEM) was set up in record time following the agreement signed between Lisbon City Council and the government on 29 February,” the municipality said in a written response to Lusa, noting that the new centre had been up and running since Thursday. “This agreement provided for the Santa Bárbara Barracks to be vacated within 30 days.”
In a petition presented on Wednesday, Left Bloc (BE) city councillor Beatriz Gomes Dias questioned the mayor, Carlos Moedas of the Centre-right Social Democratic Party (PSD), about the conditions under which homeless people were transferred to the north wing of the former Manutenção Militar, noting that the move was made to “an improvised location, without the promised works” having been carried out, and that there were complaints about their reception, including a lack of hot water and electricity in the building.
In a response to Lusa, the city council said that the indication it has is that “at the moment everything will be operational and working as well as possible,” while pointing out that “there may have been a one-off situation, in a move of this size, but it was always promptly intervened and corrected.”
According to the concil, at CAEM in Beato a team on site to resolve any issues that might be identified during the transfer process: “At the moment, all the technical issues are practically resolved, allowing the space to function to its full potential.”
People experiencing homelessness “are a priority” for the council, it said, highlighting the proposed Municipal Plan for People Experiencing Homelessness 2024-2030, which foresees an investment of €70 million in this area by 2030, and stating that the council is working 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 asked the council whether, considering the recent change of central government (from Socialist to PSD), it was considering reversing its decision to relocate CAEM from the Santa Bárbara Barracks in Arroios (which is overseen by a government ministry) to the north wing of the former Manutenção Militar in Beato, given that in September 2023 the mayor had said that, if it were up to the city council, it would remain in that space, but received no response.
Regarding the position of the Beato parish council, chaired by Silvino Correia of the Socialist Party (PS), which “does not support the city council’s decision to transfer more homeless people to this area of Lisbon,” the council said that it had no comment to make.
In this context, the BE councillor also warned that drug response teams, including vans providing methadone for people addicted to heroin, have had to reduce their hours by half, emphasising that the council is responsible for part of the funding for these teams.
According to the council, the funding is defined by the national Institute for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (ICAD), based on the amounts authorised by the previous government, with the council paying 20% of the total amount established.
“Any change will always depend on the government and ICAD and not on [the city], which has nevertheless expressed serious concerns about the situation,” the council stated to Lusa.
On March 15, the mayor said that the new centre for homeless people in the former Manutenção Militar would open “around Easter”.
The accommodation centre was originally set up in the Santa Bárbara Barracks in 2021, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic emergency, to get people off the streets and provide them with support.
The opening of the space was the result of a €1.2-million investment, by decision of the previous city council executive, in which the PS governed with an agreement with the BE, knowing that the accommodation centre would be a temporary solution.
