La Victoria receives 2.4 million from the Cabildo for dependency care

The president of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Pedro Martín (PSOE); the mayor of La Victoria de Acentejo, Juan Antonio García Abreu (PSOE), and the island councilor for Social Action, Marián Franquet (PSOE), were in charge of sign this collaboration agreement for the expansion of these three social and health infrastructures of municipal management and the creation of a parking space for dependency services. Franquet stressed that this agreement will serve as a model for other localities, since it proposes a different administrative and management route, which allows shortening deadlines through collaboration between administrations, and promotes a different model of attention and treatment of the user, “away from the macro-centers and focused on the commitment to mini-residences».

The victorious president, Juan Antonio García, thanked the Council of Tenerife for its sensitivity and assured that progress has already been made, in parallel, in the specifications and in the tenders so that, in some cases, they are published in the State Contracting Platform “in a matter of days.” One of the most advanced projects is that of the extension and equipment of the residence for the elderly, which could go out to tender “in the coming weeks”. The specifications are also available to award the intervention in the La Vera mini-residence. For the mayor, one of the keys to this day is that “we are not presenting infographics, but real projects.” Pedro Martín added that he hopes that at least three of these projects will be fully developed next year, “thanks to the drive and dedication that we know the mayor will put into it.”

The increase in social health places will be 33% compared to the current situation. The 44 new municipal management places will allow La Victoria to have 177, of which 46 are managed by non-profit entities and the rest, 131, by the city council. Of the 44 new places, including 24 residential, a total of 23 will be for the residence for the elderly, which will reach 58 in total. There will be 15 new places for the occupational center, which will offer 61. And the La Vera mini-residence will double its capacity by going from 6 to 12 places to accommodate people with disabilities.

Pedro Martín highlighted the amount of the planned investment, about 2.4 million euros, “with which the Cabildo wants to improve infrastructure that will not only serve La Victoria, but will also allow it to meet the demand of the entire region.” In his opinion, in the current context it is key to “promote investment in the social area as a fundamental tool for balance.” Apart from the actions in La Victoria, Martín recalled that there are also other social and health projects underway in towns such as Santa Úrsula, La Matanza, Guía de Isora, Arico or Candelaria.

Marián Franquet valued the collaboration with the northern City Council and insisted that “this is the first of a series of agreements that the Cabildo de Tenerife plans to sign with the municipalities to implement a faster and more efficient model than the one that was being done until now , with it we will be able to respond to the diversity of dependent needs that exist in the different areas of the island». In addition, he stressed that the insular administration has multiplied “practically by two” investment in the so-called third sector, which brings together non-profit organizations that promote the recognition and exercise of social rights.

The action with the largest budget is the expansion of the occupational center, which will have 1,154,688 euros; followed by the fifth phase of the long-awaited residence for the elderly in La Victoria, which receives 614,192 euros to complete an intervention that “began decades ago” and that is for the mayor “the number one objective of this mandate.” The La Vera mini-residence will receive 408,582 euros and the new car park for dependency services is budgeted at an additional 243,000 euros.

García Abreu recognized the responsibility that the local government (PSOE) now assumes to try to carry out these four projects “in a timely manner”, which will generate a before and after in socio-health care in Acentejo. «The extension of the residence will be a reality sooner rather than later, since its tender has been prepared at the same time as the signing of this agreement and we hope to be able to award the works immediately in order to have 18 new residential places and another 15 day center”.

The occupational center will go from serving 46 users to 61, “and will also have a home enabled so that weekend family breaks can be organized.” An advance that will be complemented, also in the short term, with the purchase of two new electric vehicles to serve people with functional diversity or a situation of dependency, who now on many occasions have had to go to other locations to receive specialized care.

The offer of public social and healthcare places in La Victoria is completed with those offered by two key non-profit entities for the town: there are 40 places for people with cerebral palsy, of which ten are residential and 30 daytime, managed by the entity Quiero be like you, and six other residential places for people with serious mental illness, managed by Afes, an entity dedicated to mental health.