Benidorm enables a space in Llorca Linares center during the cold front for homeless people

Benidorm City Hall will enable a space from Monday in José Llorca Linares social center so that homeless people can stay overnight while the polar cold weather, which is expected to arrive in the city this morning and that will cause a collapse of the temperatures. In principle, this service is expected to be available throughout the week, although it will depend on the evolution of the weather situation.

The councilor for Social Welfare, Angela Llorca, explained that "we will prepare the multipurpose room and the gym on the ground floor of the social center, as it is the most suitable space because it is spacious, and has two toilets, heating and wooden floor ". On the same floor there are also showers.

Llorca indicated that to provide this service the City Council has strengthened the concierge service from 02.00 to 08.00 hours to attend the facilities during the night and people staying in the center. The councilwoman indicated that this service will be provided in collaboration with Red Cross, which will provide 23 beds and blankets. In addition, volunteers from the NGO and Civil Protection will be at night in the center to care for people who stay overnight.

Users will be able to access Llorca Linares center from 20.30 hours, although the social center will be open throughout the night to receive potential users. In this regard, Llorca clarified that "in case the Local Police and the National Police detect or are informed of the presence of a person sleeping in the street he or she will be offered to the same the possibility of spending the night in the social center." The councilwoman indicated that taxi drivers and staff of Fomento Construcciones y Contratas (FCC) have been informed to move any case that they can detect, and has urged citizens to contact the police "if they know of any case ".

The department of Social Welfare will provide users with dinner and breakfast through the cafeteria service center. Subsequently, if they want, they will be able to continue in Llorca Linares facilities during the rest of the day.

Llorca pointed out that during the weekend the department has intensified the work to detect possible cases of people sleeping in the street and has paid a pension to six people, within the annual program of Social Emergency, to which serves the homeless or those who have travelled to Benidorm without economic means. This service also includes meeting food needs or taking the expense of bus tickets so that people can travel to their hometown or to hostels in Alicante or Denia.

Within this program, 285 people were assisted in 2015. In the absence of definitive data from last year, it is estimated that care increased more than 15% during 2016.