The Government of Asturias, in collaboration with HOGAR SÍ and the Provivienda Association, is launching an initiative that will provide housing and social support to 88 people living on the streets. Under this initiative, the Principality will make available 23 new public housing units. Housing First in the municipalities of Avilés and Gijón. In addition, a technical team will accompany the people participating in the project, for whom an individualized itinerary will be designed based on their preferences and needs.
The head of Social Rights and Welfare, Melania Álvarez, signed today the collaboration agreement together with the general director of HOGAR SÍ, José Manuel Caballol, and the general director of the Provivienda Association, Gema Gallardo. The event was also attended by the general director of Housing, Fermín Bravo, and the mayoress of Avilés, Mariví Monteserín.
Melania Álvarez considered that "homelessness can be avoided" and stressed that the objective of Asturias, aligned with those of the European Union and the 2030 Agenda, is to eradicate it "before 2030". "Full access to the use and enjoyment of decent housing is a fundamental fact to achieve the inclusion of people at risk of social exclusion," he said.
HOGAR SÍ and Provivienda will allocate two million over three years to develop the program Housing Rights: the challenge of deinstitutionalizing the homelessness care system in Asturias, which aims to transform public policies for the care of people living on the street from providing support in centers or shelters to community housing. Through this procedure, based on the Housing First method, affordable and permanent housing is provided, along with social and health support.
On September 13, under the Spanish presidency of the European Union, a high-level meeting will be held in Avilés, the Conference on Outermost Regions, organized by the European Platform on Homelessness. At this meeting, experiences and good practices will be shared and the Avilés Declaration will be signed, which will further the objectives of the Lisbon Declaration of June 2021 to eradicate homelessness in Europe.
