At the last Town Hall Meeting, the Vila Nova de Famalicão municipal executive approved a set of grants totalling 280,000 euros to be awarded to the municipality's Private Social Solidarity Institutions (IPSS), which will allow for the modernisation of the equipment network and an increase in the social response in the area - around 350 new places - in the areas of children, the elderly and the disabled.
The financial support approved last Thursday, May 16, goes to 6 IPSS: Centro Social da Paróquia de Joane (50 thousand euros), Engenho - Associação de Desenvolvimento Local do Vale do Este (40 thousand euros), Mais Plural (50 thousand euros), ACIP - Ave Cooperativa de Intervenção Psico-Social (40 thousand euros), Centro Social de Calendário (50 thousand euros) and SOCIAELOOS - Associação Social de Fradelos (50 thousand euros).
In the case of the Centro Social da Paróquia de Joane, the support is intended to help with the costs of building an ERPI - Residential Structure for the Elderly, with capacity for 40 home users, 60 home support service users and 20 Day Centre users. In the case of Engenho, the support will be channelled towards the extension and refurbishment of the Community Support Centre/Day Centre building.
The support for Mais Plural for extension and remodelling work will make it possible to open 25 new places in the ERPI. In the case of ACIP, the support is intended for the construction of the Casa do Pinheiral Training Activities Centre for Inclusion, with capacity for 30 young adults with disabilities. The Calendário Social Centre will receive support to expand its crèche with 42 new places. SOCIAELOOS will also increase its response with the creation of 126 new places: 39 in the ERPI, 13 in the Day Centre, 18 in the home support service and 56 new places in the crèche.
"The support we've approved means a lot to these IPSS, but above all to Famalicense families who have been struggling to find some of these responses," said Mário Passos, who guaranteed that the City Council would continue to support the municipality's social institutions in their growth and development projects.