Every day a family knocks on the doors of the solidarity store. The Solidarity Emporium turns six (to be precise, it celebrated its anniversary on May 9th) and takes stock of its experience by presenting the 2023 social budget in the Youth Space in Santa Barbara. An act that represents “a way to tell our story”, said the president of Viterbo with love, Domenico Arruzzolo, then recalling that “we started with 30 assisted families and now we have around 300”.
Every day a family knocks on the doors of the solidarity store
The data that gives an idea of how much the structure responds to a widespread need is that “every day a family knocked on the door of the emporium: we had 353 interviews for the reception request”. In July 1923 there was a surge, and it was no coincidence: on that date many families no longer received income or citizenship pensions and found themselves in a position to ask for help.
Return to normality in 2023
“For the emporium, 2023 was the year of recovery and complete return to normality”, summarized Arruzzolo speaking in front of the president of the Province Alessandro Romoli, the councilor Patrizia Notaristefano, the municipal and provincial councilor Umberto Di Fusco and to FdI councilor Antonella Sberna.
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The data
The emporium can present a substantially balanced budget (income of 180 thousand euros, expenses of 181,313). It operates mainly in the Vt3 district (Viterbo, Orte, Soriano, Vitorchiano, Canepina, Bomarzo, Celleno, Bassano in Teverina), in which there are 95,711 residents for a territorial extension of 684 km2. The recipients of citizenship income in 2023 were 2,885 families, corresponding to 5,732 people, while 742 families (817 people) received the citizenship pension. In total there are 3,627 families and 6,549 people.
The solidarity emporium assists people in difficulty
The emporium assists those who find themselves in temporary difficulty and socio-economic hardship. It offers interventions for a limited period, with the aim of making needy families more autonomous and integrated. He does not accept everyone who approaches him: the applications are examined and, in some cases, rejected. Arruzzolo observed that there is no poverty monitoring in the province, with the result that some try to be clever. Receiving the assurance from Notaristefano that the Municipality is working on the creation of an archive that gives an overview of the needs in the area, “to avoid knocking on more doors”.
Andrea Tognotti
COMPLETE ARTICLE IN THE VITERBO COURIER OF 17 MAY – DIGITAL NEWSSTAND
