Álvaro Araújo's invitation was made in two open letters sent to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Carlos Moedas after the Lisbon mayor asked for the involvement of more entities to find solutions aimed at resolving the situation of people in this condition.

Following Carlos Moedas' request to the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, to jointly resolve the problem of homeless people in the city, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also considered it urgent to define the role of the State and local authorities in the dimensions of this problem, making themselves available to meet with the mayor.

In the letter sent to the head of state, the mayor said that he had witnessed Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa's efforts so that the problem of homelessness “deserves due attention, and action, on the part of political leaders at their various levels”, and to Carlos Moedas' calls for entities to work together to solve a “national” problem.

“The small municipality of Vila Real de Santo António also faces a set of challenges regarding homelessness. Using various mechanisms, we have been able to implement a strategy that responds to the needs of these citizens, in a logic of solidarity, support, and social integration”, stated the president of that municipality in the district of Faro.

This response has been “individualised”, through solutions implemented with “dedicated care and social support service teams” and an “intervention of the health services component” focused on the “characteristics specific to each of these citizens”, he said, highlighting the contribution of the Local Housing Strategy (ELH) to responding to homeless citizens.

In the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António, 33 homeless people have been identified, the municipality explained to Lusa, stressing that the ELH plans to acquire 30 homes for this purpose, 29 of which “have already been acquired” in July 2023, with the municipality having plans to “rehabilitate a further 30 dwellings for homeless people”.


Available to share experiences

In the letter, Álvaro Araújo signaled to the head of state the authority's availability to “share the way in which it has acted to integrate and respond to these citizens”, recalling that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa accepted Carlos Moedas' request and will soon receive the Lisbon municipality and Government representatives to address this issue.

In the letter sent to the Mayor of Lisbon, the mayor of the Algarve municipality expressed agreement with his counterpart's position that “this effort cannot be solely from the mayors”, despite the fact that local authorities have, he considered, “a very important role” in this cause.

Álvaro Araújo pointed out the arguments referred to in the letter sent to the head of State and recalled that there are “mechanisms provided for in the National Strategy for the Integration of Homeless People”, which was “renewed by the previous Government”, in the Recovery Plan itself and Resilience and local housing strategies, which allow “joint action in several areas”.

“In this sense, in a logic of mutual assistance and driven by a genuine sense of the need for energetic action on the part of local authorities, allow me, with humility, to invite you to come and learn about the way in which the Municipal Council of Vila Real de Santo António has worked to integrate and provide answers to these citizens”, proposed the mayor in the letter.