Last week, we held a meeting with sectoral organizations that provide social support to needy people. The meeting was very positive thanks to the will to promote joint agreements and initiatives. But there was also a reason of concern because data, analysis and the experience provided by active professionals and volunteers, confirm that poverty is also gaining ground in Sitges. The number of people suffering from extreme poverty is growing.
Among the resolutions adopted at the meeting was the creation of the Third Sector Roundtable. The Roundtable will allow organizations working in this area to establish joint cooperation lines, share information and become organized in a flexible and swift manner. The organizations that attended the first meeting and, therefore, will be part of the Roundtable are: Càritas Ajuda Fraterna (Caritas Fraternal Aid), Creu Roja Sitges (Red Cross Sitges), Fundació Ave Maria (Ave Maria Foundation), Fundació Hospital Sant Joan Baptista (St. John the Baptist Hospital Foundation), Fundació La Granja, Associació AMIS (AMIS Association), ONCE Garraf, Municipal Senior Home, Agrupament Escolta Nostra Senyora del Vinyet (Scout Our Lady of Vinyet), Latin American Association Garraf, Gay Sitges Link, Garraf Foster Care Foundation, Vida Útil Private Foundation. The next meeting will be held on Thursday 31, at 19.30 at the Red Cross, and is also open to other sectoral associations wishing to join forces.
We often have a wrong image about the impact of poverty. We tend to relate poverty to situations and environments far away from our reality. Crass Error. There are people suffering from poverty in Sitges, and not precisely few. The profile of people applying for aid is changing and needs have expanded, now including more plural segments. There are instances that require fast and expedient action because the situation has reached unsustainable levels.
As a City Council, but also as a society, we have the moral obligation to respond to this situation. On one side, acting with discretion but with efficiency, we must engage in actions to meet impending needs. We are engaged in such actions right now. But above all, the final intent is to provide instruments to neutralize the impact as much as possible, being well aware of our obvious limitations and that the economic situation is very far from buoyant. For all the above, I can guarantee that the City Council and Councilman Marc Martinez will not spare efforts to fight poverty and look for suitable alternatives.
