The Community may launch an office for victims of violence based on sexual orientation and reserve 6.2 million for the Early Care law pending approval
The vice president of the regional government and counselor for Women, Equality, LGTBI, Families and Social Policy, Isabel Franco, presented this Wednesday in the Assembly “the largest budget in history” for such policies. His department will manage 451 million euros next year, 8.6% more than in 2021, in which it still has Covid funds that are not guaranteed for 2022.
Before the Committee on the Economy, Finance and Budgets of the Parliament, Franco stressed that these accounts will make it possible to reinforce care for the elderly, people with disabilities, dependents, women, families and the vulnerable. As major milestones, he underlined the creation, with 50,000 euros, of the first specialized care service for people who have suffered some type of violence due to their sexual orientation or gender; and a specific service to care for people with mental health problems. This will have 600,000 euros to design a model of social agreement that includes an economic benefit and the expansion of places in different services and existing social resources that will initially benefit about sixty people.
Most of the social policy budget will be managed by the Murcian Institute of Social Action (IMAS), 339.6 million euros. Among its most outstanding items are the 4 million for the creation of 300 new places of residences (240) and day centers (60) for the elderly, as well as 1 million for fifty people with disabilities.
Franco announced that there will be 600,000 euros to expand the Domingo Sastre residence in Lorca with two new plants and a therapeutic garden. There will also be a budget reinforcement for the strategy against unwanted loneliness of the elderly.
Likewise, the Ministry reserves an item of 6.2 million for the implementation of the Early Care Law, whose approval is scheduled for next week in the Assembly.
Franco announced the hiring next year of eleven new professionals to develop the new Social Services law. Likewise, there will be nine more appraisers of dependent people, with the aim of removing from the waiting lists some four of the five thousand people who are still waiting for the official appraisal to access the aid.
The General Directorate for Women and Gender Diversity will invest 300,000 euros in aid for companies with less than fifty workers to implement equality plans, while the Department of Social Policies and Relations with the Third Sector will allocate 11.7 million to the execution of projects of general interest in the fight against poverty and exclusion in collaboration with social entities.
Another novelty for next year will be the creation of a specialized care center for families with minors at risk of exclusion, which will start with 200,000 euros.
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