Avelina Ferreira points out that the Left Bloc (Bloco) is the political party that has presented the most proposals in the Ponta Delgada Municipal Assembly during the current term. In today’s debate on the state of the municipality, the Bloco deputy highlighted housing, public transport, the fight against drug addiction and homelessness, waste collection, and the promotion of culture as priorities.

The municipal deputy highlighted two important proposals from the Bloco that were ultimately implemented and presented as ideas from the executive: “the implementation of ‘Housing First’, which aims to provide housing for the homeless as a first constitutional right, and free public transport for young people, the elderly, and people with disabilities.”

“The Left Bloc wants simple things that require great political courage: a good life for everyone living in this municipality,“ said Avelina Ferreira, who regrets that this goal is denied to many people, especially ”young people looking for their first home, tourism and restaurant workers with minimum wages, precarious jobs and long hours, or pensioners who cannot afford necessary medicines.”

Avelina Ferreira believes that there is a “desperate situation in the housing supply, which is out of reach for most people looking for it, aggravated by the lack of restraint in granting new licenses to Local Accommodation.”

The Bloco municipal councilor criticizes the fact that a “door-to-door separate waste collection system” has not yet been implemented and that there is no expectation of when such a system will be implemented.

On what she considers “the nightmare of synthetic drugs,” Avelina Ferreira stresses that the Bloco advocates a “multifaceted approach with housing as a first right, psychosocial support, community policing, and a non-punitive attitude that supports rehabilitation through assisted consumption rooms, a proposal approved by this Assembly.”

“Surveillance cameras will not solve the problem of drug addiction and homelessness,” but rather policies that put human dignity first.”

Avelina Ferreira also called for an update to the PDM to protect the environment and the historic area of the city, taking residents’ interests into account and avoiding the displacement of residents to the outskirts through the ‘touristification’ of the city center.

Regarding transportation, the Bloco emphasizes the construction of two bus stations, the review and expansion of intra-urban transport routes and timetables, and the integration of inter-urban transport with city transport, offering a monthly pass accessible to all users, transferable across different networks.

Recalling that Ponta Delgada is just a few months away from becoming the Portuguese Capital of Culture, Avelina Ferreira lamented the lack of information and mobilization by the local authority.

From Press Release

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.