Eleven containers, two of which are used as a cafeteria and bathrooms, were installed by Beja City Council at the south top of the old Flávio Santos Stadium, to receive the “you occupy” of the Refer Building, rented by the Red Cross.
The Municipality of Beja (CMBeja) set up on the old football field, the Flávio Santos Municipal Stadium, a set of eleven containers to create a Temporary Reception Center (CAT), to receive the “occupants” who are in the Refer Building rented by the Portuguese Red Cross (CVP) to Portugal's Infrastructures (IP), and where he planned to create a Residential Structure for the Elderly (ERPI). The space is being occupied by more than four dozen national and foreign citizens with no place to sleep, but also by drug addicts and will now be boarded up.
In November 2012 CVP rented the space, where the Higher School of Technology and Management began to operate (evening), to create ERPI there and thus close the two residences in the city center. In February 2017 the works stopped due to lack of financing and the property began to be occupied by dozens of national and foreign citizens with no place to sleep, but also by drug addicts.
At a meeting held in 3 November last year, Paul Arsenio, president of CMBeja received from António Saraiva, presidente da CVP, the guarantee that the building would be emptied by 31 of December, but the deadline was not met and the “doors are still open”.
A working group was formed between the two institutions, which resulted in the decision to create this space in Flávio dos Santos, until solutions are found in the Red Cross Reception Centers spread across the country.
Heard by Lidador News (LN), Paulo Arsénio explained that “the installation of the containers is the sole responsibility of the municipality and should take place between one and two months”, adding that it “will close as soon as people are placed in the Reception Centers and in housing provided by employers”, revealed.
The mayor added that “renting the containers and energy generator will cost 5.000 euros/month”, guaranteed that the space “will be monitored for the necessary time and there will be no “strange container” in addition to those installed by the Municipality”, so the situation that occurred in Bairro das Pedreiras, with the proliferation of tents, "will not happen", finished. Meals must be provided by the Red Cross Home Support Service.
Q
Questioned about when people should be transferred and the Refer Building should be boarded up, Paulo Arsénio explained that the operation “will take place soon and the blocking will begin as soon as people are transferred to the Temporary Reception Center”, justifying that this operation “will be the responsibility and paid for by the Red Cross”, assured. After the covering is completed, CVP will return the space to IP, It remains to be seen how the contract between the two institutions will be fulfilled, which ends in 2032.
Since in 28 November 2012 signed a lease agreement for the Refer Building with IP, valid for 20 year old, upon payment of a monthly rent of 8.500 (eight thousand and five hundred) euros, CVP has spent 1.647.500 of euros, 500 thousand of which in renovation work on the building and the remainder in rent.
Position of the “Beja Consegue” Coalition.
Following the placement of containers at the Flávio dos Santos Stadium, In a statement, the councilor of the “Beja Consegue” Coalition, Nuno Palma Ferro, provides some clarification on the subject, starting by regretting that “the current executive took the decision to install the containers for a month and a half (no more), in Flávio dos Santos, without consulting the opposition, having even been questioned about this at last day's meeting 24 January without having clearly presented the solution. It is the duty of those who perform public functions to make the decisions that are being taken known and transparent.”.
The elected member of the Beja Chamber recalls that “when discussing the budget of 2024, Beja Consegue presented a proposal for the creation of a permanent space (Rural Workers Reception Center) where they could stay overnight and be monitored, controlled and supported all the homeless and immigrants we have in Beja. Strangely, the current executive did not accept the inclusion of this proposal in the budget 2024, reason why, among others, we voted against the budget (remember that the budget was approved due to the abstention of the CDU……)", finished.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
