Vila Nova de Famalicão City Hall annually supports the transport of nearly one hundred disabled citizens from Vila Nova de Famalicão to attend social and educational institutions. The transport service is provided daily throughout the year, except in the second half of August. Between September 2021 and August 2022, the municipality made a municipal investment of around 240 thousand euros that benefited around 92 famalicenses.
For the school year that has just started, the mobility aid started by benefiting 93 citizens from 38 parishes in the municipality, which implies a municipal investment of around 186 thousand euros, to travel to structures located in the area of the municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão. The amount and the number of beneficiaries are adjusted throughout the year according to the appearance of new needs. In addition to this investment, a sum of around 50 thousand euros is also foreseen, referring to the expenses of displacements of disabled citizens to institutions outside the municipality.
This support includes travel to institutions, among them APPACDM Vila Nova de Famalicão, AFPAD - Associação Famalicense de Prevenção e Apoio à Deficiência, Centro Social e Cultural de São Pedro de Bairro, Universidade do Minho, Agrupamento de Escolas Alberto Sampaio (Braga), Instituto Politécnico do Cávado e Ave - Guimarães, Centro Capacitação e Formação de Famalicão (ACIP) and APACI - Associação de Pais e Amigos das Crianças Inadaptadas (Barcelos).
"Although small, for these famalicenses and their families, it is a gesture with great meaning", says the Mayor, Mário Passos. "The fact that they can go to institutions that provide occupational activities adapted to their reality, as well as relevant training offers, is an important step to ensure the access of these citizens to education, their well-being and their personal and collective development," highlights the Mayor.
It should be noted that the City Council has provided, over the past decades, the transport service for people with disabilities, through adapted transport, taxis or ambulances, to attend the structures of social and educational support located in the area of the municipality of Famalicão, as well as Guimarães, Santo Tirso and Braga, since the entities of the Central Administration of the State, in the areas of Social Security and Health, do not finance such transport.
The support for the current school year was approved in the last town hall meeting, which took place on September 15.