The president of the Novo Olhar II Association has shared that the organisation will establish a 17-bed emergency social housing facility in Marinha Grande that will run continuously.

Ana Patrícia Quintanilha claims that this facility, which is also meant for minors, will respond to social emergencies instantly and permanently, as it is connected to the Social Security Institute’s 144 [National Social Emergency Line].

On Friday, 15 November, Diário da República, released the public tender for the renovation, extension, and repair of Casa da Acácia, the home where the social emergency accommodation centre will be located.

According to Ana Patrícia Quintanilha, the lodging facility "is intended to respond to emergency situations arising from various situations," including human trafficking and domestic abuse, among other situations involving immediate danger. As she further shared, “Given the adversities we are experiencing in the country, both in terms of natural disasters and the increase in homeless people and so many other needs, it is, in fact, an extremely necessary piece of equipment”.

The centre, which will have a team exclusively dedicated to this social response, will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. As the president shared, the association was established in Coimbra and has been operating “in the territory of Marinha Grande and Leiria for 24 years”. The Novo Olhar II Association, which employs 14 people, has about 600 users spread across many projects in the municipalities of Leria and Marinha Grande.

This private institution for social solidarity is working on projects like a communal health centre in Porta Azul and shared residences. Additionally, there are "street teams in the area of risk reduction and harm minimisation" and an anonymous screening and counselling service that "is defined as a prevention project and connection to health care and community screening for HIV, hepatitis, and syphilis”.