THE COMMUNITY OF SANT'EGIDIO AND THE COLD EMERGENCY IN ROME

At Palazzo Leopardi, in Trastevere, reception space for 12 homeless people

The Community of Sant'Egidio, in Rome, as an immediate response to the severe drop of temperature, as every year, starting from this evening, opened a reception space for the homeless, which will add to other facilities already active in Trastevere. The centre, which has 12 beds, is intended to accommodate, during the winter, the people that usually live on the street in the district, and it is located inside Palazzo Leopardi, in Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere.

The opening has as its immediate objective to avoid risks for the survival and health of people already weakened by the poor conditions to which the state of homelessness obliges them. Last year dozens of people were protected in this way against severe cold. For each of them, through hospitality, a process of reintegration began that prevented them from returning to life on the street. "Providing a shelter in the winter season is equivalent to specifically saving the lives of those sleeping in the open", they underlined to the Community of Sant'Egidio.

Rome, 25 November, 2013