The Minister of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security announced today that the district of Viseu will receive 40 million euros (ME), from the PRR and PAS programs, for a total of 67 projects in the social area.
“In the district of Viseu we have 40 million [euros] invested in 67 projects for various areas of social action, in other words, 40 ME in social investment in all the responses. It’s the biggest investment ever,” said Ana Mendes Godinho.
The investment, the minister added, will be made “through two support mechanisms, the PRR [Recovery and Resilience Plan] and PARES” (Program to Extend the Social Equipment Network).
Among the “biggest investments” to be made in the district, a source from the Ministry told Lusa, is one in Viseu, under PARES 3.0, “over 2.5 ME for 30 places in a Center for Activities and Training for Inclusion [CACI] and 72 in a residential home”.
From the PRR, the source pointed out, there is “a project in Tondela, worth more than 1.7 ME, which covers 33 places in a nursery, 33 in a Residential Structure for the Elderly (ERPI), 10 in a Home Support Service (SAD) and 20 in a Day Center (CD)”.
She was speaking to journalists after a meeting with the 14 mayors of the municipalities that make up the Viseu Dão Lafões Intermunicipal Community (CIM) and “the top leaders of various bodies” such as the Employment and Vocational Training Institute, the Social Security Institute and the Labor Inspectorate.
Ana Mendes Godinho defended the “importance of the visits to the projects and these meetings” that she will be holding across the country, in Viseu it was the first, with all the CIMs, in order to “listen to the mayors about the existing problems and share measures”.
Among the most frequently heard problems, shared the minister, is the “lack of human resources” and “the priority they assume from a social point of view with the equipment to provide answers” and the identification of social investment as a critical and priority area for mayors”.
The minister also wanted to hear “an assessment of the decentralization of social action” which she said was “very positive, with mayors and Social Security saying that there is a great capacity for articulation” between the institution and the municipalities.
Ana Mendes Godinho said that the meeting also served to “share existing support measures” that “some mayors don’t know about, as happened” at the meeting in Viseu.
In this regard, he highlighted the measures to “support the hiring of young people, which can serve as an instrument to attract talent or investment to their territories” or even “PRR notices that councils can apply for”.
In this case, he highlighted the notices “for accessibility in public buildings, which councils can apply for” and “in relation to the national temporary accommodation exchange”, for example.