The new regulation of the Municipality of Latina for elderly social centers provides that the structures must all be up to standard to be assigned, but none are. Ergo, the risk is to approve a regulation that closes all the centers the next day. It seems like a paradox (or rather, a joke), but it isn’t. And it happens in Piazza del Popolo. And it happens because the rules are these: the Municipality is required to adapt to the guidelines of the resolutions of the Lazio Region regarding elderly social centres, and is indeed late, as the deadline for doing so was 30 June 2023. Almost a year, then. Therefore we must rush to approve the regulation, which also brings with it the agreements with the elderly social centres.
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The situation
A revolution born a few years ago by the Region, following the transformation of the management of the centers into Social Promotion Associations (APS). Necessary transformation because, as the regulation says, «the elderly centers that transform themselves into Social Promotion Associations are bodies of a private nature, third sector bodies, the only civil form that allows the realization of the power/right of the elderly people attending to be members for all purposes of the centre”. The new regulation also takes note of the changes in society and how the elderly are active today and must be maintained, on the principles of “participation, independence, self-realization and protection of the dignity of the elderly”, organizing recreational-cultural activities, promoting volunteering, recreational and motor activities, cultural and intergenerational exchange, training and information on social and health services, and much more. The act also dictates the rules for the selection of APAs that intend to manage the centers, together with the guidelines for their internal regulations.
The problem, however, arises from paragraph “a” of article 8: «The Municipality supports the senior center by guaranteeing the provision of a property of suitable size, compliant with regulations and without rental costs for the association. The Municipality provides authorization for the operation of the Center with its own deed, before stipulating the management agreement. The Municipality guarantees ordinary and extraordinary maintenance and the payment of utilities.” The point, however, is that no senior center property in Latina is up to standard; moreover, these are often very dated properties. The matter reached the Social Services commission of the Municipality of Latina yesterday morning: it was here that the opposition, with Dario Bellini, Floriana Coletta and Daniela Fiore, pointed out the risk of approving a regulation that closes the centers rather than opening them . Not only that: according to Fiore, “there is also a direct responsibility of the Municipality, which could be sued for damages”. The social services offices, in writing the regulation, had also hypothesized a transitional rule for a sort of “pre-assignment” pending the restructuring of the centers, which however did not pass the scrutiny of the general secretariat and was modified.
If from the majority the councilor Simona Mulé (FdI) highlighted how “the regulations have general validity and cannot provide for particular situations”, to overcome the impasse the president Nicola Catani suggested the possibility of a joint commission with Public Works, to understand the possibilities and timing of compliance.
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