25/10/2020 - 09:10
Social Services. Some 30% of people who received support had never used social services before or had had no need for at least a year previously.
The city’s social services attended to 56,192 people between the start of the pandemic, on 16 March, and 30 September. Some 30% of these people had never used social services before or had had no need for at least a year previously. The number of special municipal grants awarded during these six months was more than double the previous year, numbering 28,360 in total.
The city’s social services have attended to 56,192 people since the start of the Covid-19 health emergency, more than half the number of people who received support in the whole of 2019. Women account for 67%, with 41% of people aged between 31 and 50 years old. Support was provided in person on 21,700 occasions, with professionals conducting 148,000 social assessments by phone and 900 home visits.
The increase led the Municipal Institute of Social Services (IMSS) to take on additional social workers in Ciutat Vella, Sants-Montjuïc and Nou Barris, the three districts where demand is highest. Specifically, ten more workers were taken on in Ciutat Vella and Sants-Montjuïc, and seven in Nou Barris.
In terms of the amount of special aid awarded, a total of 28,360 grants have been given, the overall value of 13.01 million euros doubling the figure for the same period last year. Most grants were given to cover basic needs such as food and accommodation.