social

Little help for homeless

Rosa Gisado, 72, has made a bus stop her home.

She says that she has been abandoned by her family because they consider her a burden despite the fact that, in her own words, she “has a very clear mind.”

Rosa is not alone in her plight. Government officials estimate that there are about 3,000 people wandering through the city in the same condition.

Who takes care of them? To the Municipio de Panamá, this is not an easy question to answer as there is no government institution responsible for homeless citizens.

The city began a rehabilitation program that took homeless people off the streets and offered them temporary housing, as well as food and facilities to clean themselves up.

It works with the organization Army of God, located in Calzada Larga, which provides the facilities for the program.

But for Hugo Morgado, social manger of the Municipio de Panamá who oversees the program, the situation should be considered a public health problem that requires the participation of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Development. But health officials said that poverty is not handled by the ministry.

Director of Social Policy for the Ministry of Social Development, Rubiel Cajar, said he did not agree with the policy of rehabilitation that is operated by the city, since it does not solve the problem, but only offers a temporary solution.

He said that the ministry has developed a program to encourage families with a homeless relative to help them.