The Government of the Canary Islands will allocate about 15 million euros in social policy matters for the island of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, according to the Cabildo after the meeting that the president, Pedro San Ginés, and the new Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Juan Manuel Sosa, held on Wednesday morning with the Deputy Minister of Social Policies and Housing of the regional Executive, Francisco Gaspar Candil.
Specifically, Candil ratified the commitment of the Ministry of Employment, Social Policies and Housing to provide at least 10 million euros, enabled via extraordinary credit through the second Plan of Social and Health Infrastructures of the autonomous Executive, the Residence for the Elderly with High Requirements and announced three for public housing in Lanzarote and another two for the construction of a new center for minors.
As specified in the meeting, the Residence for the Elderly with High Requirements "aims to provide coverage for about 150 places for family respite and permanent stay, responding to this important demand of the island".
"It is not ruled out that this investment will be greater" with "private financing"
The president of the Cabildo, Pedro San Ginés, stated that "it is not ruled out that this investment of 10 million euros will be greater through public-private co-financing." The project is in the process of being drafted and is expected to be put out to tender throughout 2018. This new social-health center and high-requirement residence will be located on land owned by the Cabildo, in the area where the Disability Care Center managed by the institution through Adislan in Tahíche is located.
As for the construction of a new Center for Minors, it will also be located in Tahíche, on land ceded by the Cabildo to the Government of the Canary Islands.
"This center will have an investment of at least two million euros from the Government, whose project is also in the process of being drafted for bidding, like the Residence for the Elderly with High Requirements, during the next year"", San Ginés pointed out.
The Cabildo requests Arrecife to transfer land for protected housing
As mentioned above, the Deputy Minister of Social Policies and Housing also announced the commitment of his ministry to meet the demand for public housing in Lanzarote by allocating another 3 million euros for the expansion of the public park, either through the acquisition of homes or new construction, for which purposes, San Ginés detailed, "the Cabildo of Lanzarote has requested the City Council of Arrecife, and is considering, the transfer of municipal land for the construction of protected public housing."
Congress of Seniors
Finally, the Minister of Social Welfare and Health of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Juan Manuel Sosa, in his first contact with the Government of the Canary Islands, wanted to highlight the announcement of the Deputy Minister to carry out, presumably on October 26, a Congress of Seniors focused on 'active aging', which will also be held in the rest of the islands of the archipelago.
Sosa also expressed his "satisfaction for the commitments assumed by the Government of the Canary Islands with the Cabildo", taking in this sense the witness and responsibility that have been entrusted to him to "respond in the remainder of the legislature to all these needs and others that are pending in social and health matters of the island of Lanzarote so that our elders, dependent people and minors, among other population segments, receive the best possible care."