Caritas, October 24, 2023. Share your network, don’t let them be left out of coverage. Under this motto the annual homeless campaign begins today. A social demand to build a community support network that protects and takes into account the people who make up this group.
With this campaign, Cáritas exposes that homeless people are disconnected from society and need answers that adjust to their reality. It is not just about satisfying basic needs but about generating transformative possibilities and processes through welcome, support and participation. For this reason, at Cáritas we ask public administrations to guarantee the rights of all people with a real commitment.
According to Caritas, two out of every ten homeless people are women, a fact that worries us and requires greater alertness on the part of the institution to know how to identify and implement the necessary resources that especially protect women who find themselves in a situation of homelessness.
5,225 people served in Andalusia
In 2022, the Andalusian Cáritas assisted 5,225 homeless people, allocating 378 places through the following resources: 12 residential centers, 8 supervised or semi-supervised homes, 6 day centers, 3 social centers, 2 permanent night facilities, 1 emergency device (Cold Wave), 7 street care projects and 1 settlement care project.
This has been possible thanks to the commitment and dedication of 605 volunteers and the work of 115 hired people. The resources invested have reached more than 4.74 million euros in the entire Andalusian community.
Cáritas Cádiz provides coverage to 698 homeless people
For its part, Cáritas Diocesana de Cádiz has reported on the work carried out last year, in which 698 homeless people were cared for. Of these, 81 were served on the street by the “Café y Calor” project in La Línea de la Concepción and the rest in the Social Care projects in Algeciras (159), Chiclana de la Frontera (95), La Línea de la Concepción (106), San Fernando (204) and in the socio-educational project “Luz y Sal” 53 people.
The profile of the people served continues to be mostly male, Spanish (75%) between 25 and 55 years old, single, with little training and little or no family or neighborhood support. We highlight the considerable increase in mental health problems suffered by these people and the difficulties in accessing diagnosis and treatment that make their situation even worse.
This work was carried out throughout the Diocese by 37 volunteers and 8 technicians. The funds allocated exceeded €297,000.
Cáritas insists on the importance of preventing homelessness in people who find themselves in a situation of exclusion, which is why the institution invested in 2022, through the aid provided by Cáritas in the parishes, a total of €249,272.87 in housing-related expenses.
Unified networking
Homelessness is a complex reality that requires strategies, tools and resources adapted to people’s needs. Cáritas demands networking with public and private social entities that facilitate the social reintegration of people, working from the same approach and with the same objective. Likewise, it is expected that the First Strategy for caring for homeless people in Andalusia 2023-2026 will represent a qualitative leap for the recovery of the rights of this group and a firm commitment from the Autonomous Administration with the necessary financial provision.
“Out of coverage” campaign
On the occasion of Homeless People’s Day, which will be celebrated on October 29, Cáritas has launched a new campaign. Under the motto “Share your network. Don’t let them be left out of coverage”, the initiative denounces the lack of access to rights, and especially, the lack of social protection that these people suffer.
In the Diocese of Cádiz, as the central event of the campaign, on Thursday, October 26, a day of awareness and denunciation will take place in the parish of San Pedro and San Pablo de San Fernando. The program of this event includes the liturgical celebration, an awareness gesture and a coexistence meeting.
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