This Monday, the President of the Republic said that there is an urgent need to define the role of the state and local authorities in various aspects of the homeless problem during this period of change of government.
Faced with a request from the mayor of Lisbon for a hearing to resolve the issue, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said it was initially necessary to “know whether the government supports the previous strategy or wants to make changes.”
Speaking to journalists in Coimbra, on the sidelines of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities (ANMP), the head of state added that the second point is to “establish a model of coordination with local authorities, especially those in which this phenomenon manifests itself to a greater extent.” .
“It is very important to know the role of the state and local authorities in various aspects of the problem: housing, on the one hand, healthcare, on the other, and the situation that has developed today on the ground,” said the President of the Republic.
According to Marcelo Rebelo de Souza, there are very diverse problems that are united, and in order to prevent the situation from worsening, “at this moment of transition, it is extremely important to know the connection between local authorities and the new government.”
The mayor of Lisbon asked the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister to hold hearings to jointly address the problem of homelessness in the city, which has worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking today on the sidelines of the presentation of 25 new members of the municipal police, Carlos Moedas told reporters that he had sent two letters to Marcelo Rebel de Souza and Luis Montenegro because he believes that “efforts to solve the problem cannot be the responsibility of the mayors alone.”
Lisbon is the city most affected by this phenomenon and currently has around 3,000 homeless people, 300 of whom are actually on the streets.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal

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