Lisbon City Council reaches agreement with government on response to homelessness in Beato

The homeless accommodation center at the Santa Barbara barracks in Lisbon for homeless people will be moved by the end of this year to the northern wing of the Military Holding in Beato, the city council announced this Friday.

This announcement is the result of an agreement to “transfer to the government” the property in the northern wing of the military service complex on Rua do Grilo in the Lisbon parish of Beato, which “will be valid for a period of 20 years, and may be extended by agreement of the parties up to a maximum period of 50 years “, stated a statement from the Lisbon City Council (CML).

The premises in Beato, which will become the municipality’s new temporary accommodation center providing support for homeless people, “will be the subject of in-depth intervention and adaptation work for its intended purpose and should be operational by the end of this year.” “, the municipality said.

The accommodation center at the Santa Barbara Barracks in Arroyos was opened in 2021 in response to the Covid-19 emergency to provide support to people experiencing homelessness. The opening of this premises was the result of an investment of 1.2 million euros, decided by the previous manager under the chairmanship of PS, who managed the agreement with BE, knowing that it would be a temporary development.

The current PSD/CDS-PP-led administration is facing a request from the company Fundiestamo, which manages government assets, to vacate the Santa Barbara barracks because the property will be used to build housing that can be rented out.

The deadline for vacating this property was September 30, 2023, but this did not occur as HML awaited government response regarding an alternative site to house the Municipal Emergency Accommodation Center, namely the north wing of the Military Services Complex.

Nine months after council officials began discussing the relocation of this residential center, CML today ensured that “the necessary dismantling of the existing unit at the Santa Barbara Barracks will be replaced by a new facility located in the north wing of the barracks complex. Maintenance”, noting that this place “has always been presented as the best alternative and possible solution for the future reception of homeless people in Lisbon.”

“The purpose of the guaranteed transfer of this property will be the creation of a municipal temporary accommodation center,” CML confirmed.

Quoted in the statement, CML President Carlos Moedas (PSD) said that “this is a problem that has existed for a long time” and for which the municipal executive has never stopped looking for the best possible solution.

“From the very beginning, we tried to raise awareness among the government so that they would accept our proposal, but after much hesitation and conflicting responses, we finally succeeded in achieving this result. This is an important sign in an extremely complex social sphere. “We are investing heavily in our homeless response policy and this is another important step towards that strategy,” the Social Democrat said.

Carlos Moedas stressed that the problem of homelessness “is not a simple problem and exists in the city,” assuring that the CML will continue to work to combat this situation and “make Lisbon a city that cares.”

“A city that cares for those who need it most. A city that leaves no one behind, and it is in this sense that we provide the greatest assistance to people experiencing homelessness,” the mayor emphasized.

On 13 December 2023, the CML approved the submission for public consultation of the draft Municipal Plan for Homeless Services (PMPSSA) 2024-2030, the strategic objectives of which are to prevent and reduce the number of people sleeping on the streets, with a total investment of “around €70 million”.