“We have called this meeting with a clear objective: to definitively close the issue of the resources of the Dopo di Noi Fund for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018. Every euro stopped must become an intervention. Every intervention must become a concrete response for people with serious disabilities and their families”.
This is what the regional councilor for Welfare, Pasqualina Straface, declared, presiding today, in the green room of the regional Citadel in Catanzaro, at the meeting called with the social territorial areas. Also present at the meeting was the manager of sector 4 of the Welfare Department, Maria Gabriella Rizzo.
The objective is to transform sums that have remained partly unused into life projects, autonomy, domiciliary care, inclusion, deinstitutionalization paths, light housing solutions, assistive technologies and real services for people with severe disabilities who lack family support.
Territorial reconnaissance and the critical issues of the areas
From the reconnaissance conducted by the Region, an uneven picture emerged: there are areas that have planned, spent and reported correctly by 31 December 2025; others with minimal residues; still others with substantial savings or with procedures never actually started. Among the most relevant critical situations are Reggio Calabria, with almost 500 thousand euros still unaccounted for, Catanzaro with over 400 thousand, Corigliano-Rossano with over 200 thousand, as well as other situations with sums exceeding 100 thousand euros.
“The result is simple – added Straface – resources stuck at risk of being returned. And this is not acceptable, because behind those resources there are people and families. We are talking about almost 3 million euros which risked being returned. This is why I opened a discussion with the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, to prevent resources already assigned to Calabria from leaving our welfare system and being redistributed elsewhere”.
The agreement with the Ministry and the regional resolution
The Ministry, taking note of the review process initiated by the Region, recalled the need for a timely use of resources for the effective implementation of the essential levels of social performance.
“This means only one thing – underlined the councilor – we have the concrete possibility of recovering everything and transforming it into services. And the full use of these sums is also a condition for unlocking further future annuities”. Following the ministerial feedback, the Regional Council, again on the proposal of councilor Straface, approved resolution no. 201/2026, which defines the programmatic guidelines for the implementation of the Fund by establishing a fundamental principle: the resources must be immediately activated and aimed at individual projects.
Timetable and risk of administration for ATS
In implementation of the resolution, the Regional Department thus notified a note to the ATS of Amantea, Catanzaro, Castrovillari, Caulonia, Corigliano-Rossano, Cosenza, Crotone, Montalto Uffugo, Polistena, Praia a Mare, Reggio Calabria, Rende, Rogliano, San Giovanni in Fiore, Soverato, Soveria Mannelli, Spilinga, Taurianova, Trebisacce, Vibo Valentia and Villa San Giovanni. The ATS are asked to unblock the liquidation procedures within ten days. The process will be concluded by 31 May, with approval of the reports received or, in the event of failure to comply and persistent inertia, with the activation of substitute powers and the appointment of ad acta commissioners.
“The resources are in the Areas and the responsibility for implementation is in the Areas. From today we ask for timely executive planning: updated status of the sums, list of interventions that can be activated, eligible requests, settlement times and operational timetable. We no longer need analyses. We need actions, times and results”.
The Department will guarantee maximum technical-operational support so that every useful procedure can be completed within the expected timescales.
“I will go to the Ministry again – announced Straface – to illustrate the reports we will receive from the ATS representing the work that Calabria is carrying out to recover these resources and transform them into services”.
At the same time, he clarified that there will be no retreat from territorial responsibilities: “The administration of commissioners is not a punitive measure. It is a guarantee. Our objective is not to appoint commissioners, but to guarantee that every euro reaches the people.”
Towards the new Regional Social Plan
Finally, the councilor linked the theme of Dopo di Noi to the reform of regional social planning.
“In the next few days – concluded Straface – we will work on the social plan, because it is no longer enough to distribute resources on a capitation basis alone. We need to start from the real needs of the territories: in Calabria we have over 120 thousand families in poverty, 48 thousand recipients of inclusion allowances and the issue of disabilities needs to be better mapped. Frailties must have a preferential lane”.