Palma's municipal reception centres service took in 79 families in 2020 - 147 children and young people under the age of 18, 77 women and 27 men. The town hall allocated a total of 10,000 euros to families who were given shelter.
In presenting the service's report on Thursday, the deputy mayor for social welfare, Antoni Noguera, said that eighty per cent of these families leave the service with job opportunities and income, while they can continue their lives independently by paying for accommodation.
The long-stay service is usually for no more than two years, but eighty per cent stay for less than a year. The normal maximum period for short stay is six months, but families remain on average for three and a half months. Noguera stated that the figures show that the "service works because it offers second chances and prevents social exclusion".
There are two reception centres for families in situations of social difficulty due to a lack of financial resources. One has space for twelve families, the other has 54 places. The general coordinator of social services, Catalina Trobat, said that second chances are given to families "who have real possibilities in the medium term to improve their situations - preventing social exclusion, especially for their children".
The service provides accommodation, food, hygiene, clothing as well as individual plans for social insertion.