Vacancies in residential homes have more than tripled in three years, highlights Vasco Cordeiro
The number of vacancies in residential homes in the Azores for disabled citizens increased from about 40 to almost 140 between 2013 and 2019, a growth set by the President of the Government as a Government's priority to also address the concerns of their families.
The growth of vacancies available in these social infrastructures throughout the Region has enabled the Government to provide a specific response to families' concerns regarding the future of their family members, who, alone, are unable to live independently, said Vasco Cordeiro. He spoke at the opening of the redevelopment works of the Occupational Activity Centre (CAO) of the "Santa Casa da Misericórdia" of Calheta on São Jorge Island.
“This is politics, too. Politics also involves the creation of responses to these situations. And that is what we have been doing throughout the Region and is being achieved with the investments under way," stressed the President of the Government on the third day of the Government's statutory visit to São Jorge.
According to him, the Government has already invested 13.6 million Euros since 2013 in the remodelling, adaptation and construction of social infrastructures to support disabled citizens on the islands of São Jorge, Pico, Graciosa, São Miguel and Terceira.
“We are talking about investments that enabled us to make a difference for the better in the lives of these Azoreans,” Vasco Cordeiro emphasised, pointing out the growth in the number of vacancies in Occupational Activity Centres from 515 to 600 between 2013 and the end of 2019.
"This makes a difference in the lives of those who need this kind of support and makes a difference in the lives of their families," said the President of the Government. As he highlighted, "leaving no one behind is also creating the conditions for these fellow citizens to enjoy their citizenship as much as possible."
In this context, Vasco Cordeiro announced that, after the pilot project developed in 2019, the Government will implement this year the inclusive tourism programme designated as "Azores for All," which allows citizens with disabilities to travel to other islands of the archipelago.
"This was an experience we carried out in 2019. We are very pleased with its results and, accordingly, we want to increase the number of islands as well as the number of participants in 2020," said the President of the Government.
In his speech, Vasco Cordeiro also stressed that it is the tax money paid by the Azoreans that "has contributed to these results" in area of social support, which should be a source of pride for the Region.
"From Santa Maria to Corvo, all the Azoreans have helped the young people attending the Occupational Activity Centre of "Santa Casa da Misericórdia" of Calheta to have better support conditions. This should be a source of pride for us as a Region," concluded the President of the Government.
The redevelopment works of this Occupational Activity Centre attended by about 25 people, opened exactly one year after the signing of the contract work, represented an investment of about 250 thousand Euros, besides contributing to recovery of a building of architectural relevance in the town of Calheta.