The head of the Ministry of Social Development, Martín Lema, stated this April 25, at a press conference, that there is “zero tolerance” for the possibility of minors spending the night on public roads and that is why there are no children who sleep in the street. street. He listed the plans managed by the portfolio to mitigate child poverty and, in another order, highlighted the work he is doing with other institutions to start the Winter Plan.
In Uruguay “there is zero tolerance for a child sleeping on the street,” said Lema, who assured that “there are no children sleeping on the street.” In this sense, she added that the Ministry of Social Development (Mides) is currently implementing numerous proposals aimed at containing people who are in a street situation. She mentioned the 24-hour service, nightclubs, inns, centers for women with children, and supported housing.
He explained that, to date, the homes for women with children El Hornero (created in August 2021) and El Zorzal (inaugurated last October) have served 218 women and children. In these establishments, efforts were also made to find specific and profound solutions to the different social problems presented by the residents.
Likewise, he declared that he is working hard to mitigate child poverty and that a decrease was observed in 2021 compared to 2020, although it is still not enough, as he acknowledged. In this context, he highlighted that in January 2022, Mides implemented the Bono Crianza, aimed at more vulnerable households with children from 0 to 4 years old, and later the Bono Social de Energia Electric, a tool promoted jointly with UTE, with which more than 113,000 households were subsidized. In this way, users in vulnerable situations can access regular, safe and quality electricity consumption, he added.
In another order, Lema reported that Mides eliminated the income limit for the year 2022, to maintain Family Allowances-Equity Plan. This measure works “as a springboard and not as an anchor,” and aims to encourage labor formality and increase the income of the family nucleus to face the situation of vulnerability, added the hierarch.
In addition, he mentioned complementary measures that are in operation and are aimed at eradicating child poverty, such as the social diagnosis of the newborn and the strengthening of the care system focused on early childhood, through scholarships for socio-educational inclusion.
Regarding the Winter Plan, the minister highlighted the articulation that is carried out with the Ministries of the Interior and National Defense, with the State Health Services Administration (ASSE) and private companies that collaborate on an honorary basis with housing protection and check-ups. of health. He reported that the portfolio is devoted to analyzing the causes that lead people to remain outdoors. Presidency
