The municipal reception facility in Santa Cruz de Tenerife has added 20 extra beds to accommodate individuals experiencing cold during the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
This setup, which has monitors on duty throughout the night, seven days a week, has been operational since December 20 and is scheduled to continue until February 7, 2025, as confirmed by the City Council in a statement.
As per the council’s report, the increasing number of homeless individuals seeking these services, coupled with the limited capacity, has resulted in a fluctuating count of those unable to secure temporary accommodation for adequate rest or simply to shield themselves from the cold during nighttime hours.
Consequently, the Municipal Institute of Social Care (IMAS) is investing approximately 15,000 euros and aims to provide an additional 20 individual emergency beds until February 7, 2024.
The emergency facility will be situated in the multipurpose room located on the semi-basement level of the soup kitchen and will operate throughout December, January and February.
Throughout this month of December, and up until the 11th, there have been 150 requests for accommodation services that were unable to secure a place, representing 59 distinct individuals.
The City Council has clarified that there is a daily average of 15 requests for spaces that cannot be filled, all attributable to the shortage of available places in current accommodation facilities.
