RED CROSS To Help Over A Thousand Homeless In Spain’s Malaga

THE plunge in temperatures together with the lashing rain which has drenched Malaga over the last few days has activated concerns with associations like the Red Cross for those hundreds of homeless people living on the streets of Malaga.

In 2019, the Red Cross reached out to aid more than a thousand homeless people and in view of the recent low temperatures, the operation has been reinforced, to bring more aid and help to those in need.

A total of 1,051 people were assisted by the Red Cross in the province of Malaga last year, specifically in the capital of Malaga as well as in the municipalities of Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Marbella, Torremolinos and Rincón de la Victoria.

The Red Cross is coordinating with local councils and entities that work with homeless people to provide comprehensive care, with the Social Emergency Units being a link between the street and the social resources available to them, as is the case in Malaga city with the Homeless Development Group.

Hot coffee, food, shelter, cleaning and hygiene materials, health care, as well as phycological support and accompaniment are offered by the teams that make up the Red Cross in their endeavour to support people living on the streets.

In Marbella, the Red Cross also manages the Inclusion Centre for the Homeless, which is subsidised by Marbella City Council. It has a multidisciplinary team made up of psychologists, employment counsellors, mediators, social workers and educators and monitors.

In 2019, the Red Cross assisted 259 people living outdoors in this centre: basic services are offered (meals, showers, laundry and delivery of hygiene products) and also an integration service.

The objective of this resource is to aid with the inclusion of people through educational workshops, psychological and social care, and employment guidance.

In the province of Malaga 124 volunteers supported the Red Cross through this project. During 2019 all of them carried out nearly 4,200 hours of voluntary activity.