In Arona, a social assistance crisis: elderly and disabled people without support, millions of euros lying idle.
In Arona, socialists accuse the local administration of mismanaging the home help service, resulting in dozens of people not receiving the necessary support, despite a significant budget.
In towns of Arona, such as Urbanizaciones, Valle San Lorenzo, Buzanada and La Camella, people are unable to receive state assistance at home. Socialists say that this has left people who require constant care or are bedridden in a difficult situation. The local government (PP, CC and Vox parties) does not deny this.
Many people no longer receive necessary services from the mayor's office, such as assistance with hygiene, nutrition, accompaniment to the doctor, or cleaning. The Socialists point out that what was initially promised as a temporary break has become an indefinite suspension.
The Municipal Home Help Service (SAD) is financed from the budget of the Social Services Board, which last year amounted to 6.1 million euros. At the same time, more than two million euros remained unused. At the end of the year, the Board had accumulated 8 million euros. This year, the budget was increased by 40% to 8.6 million euros, but only a quarter of this money was used in the first six months.
The Socialists of Arona do not understand why, with so much money available, dozens of people are not receiving the necessary assistance. They believe that the home help service in Arona is currently operating at its worst level ever, and blame the poor management of the local government (PP, CC and Vox) for this.
In addition, they criticize the government led by Fátima Lemes (PP) for not using the Social Employment Program (PES) 2024-2025 to hire more workers and specialists for the home help service. The Socialists say that this is not an unexpected problem, but the result of poor planning, for which the most vulnerable people are now paying the price.
The Socialists warn that the worsening situation could lead to privatization of the service, which would jeopardize the care of people in need, the peace of mind of their families, and the working conditions of employees.
They promise to prevent abuse in this important service for the elderly and those in need of care, as the number of requests for it is constantly increasing. No one should be left without help.
The Socialists also draw attention to the hard work of the home help service employees, where many women work. They are dedicated to their work, but complain of exhaustion and overwork. Often, one person is forced to do the work that a whole team should be doing, which affects the quality of services and the lives of the people who receive them, and their families.
During a city council meeting in January, the Councilor for Social Affairs, Ruth Guacimara Martín (CC), expressed concern about the critical situation in social services. She reported that due to a lack of staff, those who are employed are constantly under stress and are unable to meet the needs of the city. She cited restrictions on hiring new employees imposed by the central government as the main reason.
Ruth Martín replaced Pura Martín (Más por Arona) as head of the Social Services Board, who had managed it for the first year and a half after the elections in June 2023. Mayor Fátima Lemes excluded MxArona from the local government two weeks before the city council meeting.