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A Calabria that includes, protects and supports its most vulnerable citizens, transforming the planning of community resources into immediate, tangible and close responses to the needs of the communities. With this spirit, the Calabria Region has officially activated the “Good service to fight poverty”an innovative and structured measure that provides a total financial allocation of 9,507,657.62 euros to support families in conditions of economic fragility in covering the costs of accessing residential and semi-residential social welfare facilities and services, such as retirement homes, residential communities and day centres.
The measure, financed through European resources as part of the Calabria Regional Program FESR ESF+ 2021-2027, enters its operational phase with the commitment and distribution of the first annuity of 2026, equal to 6.5 million euros, already divided among the 32 Social Territorial Areas (ATS) of Calabria on the basis of objective criteria such as the resident population, those taken in charge and accredited places present in the area. The remaining resources, equal to over 3 million euros, will guarantee coverage of the second year of the measure for 2027 through a subsequent programmatic measure.
“Behind the numbers of this important decree – declared lCouncilor for Welfare and Social Inclusion, Pasqualina Straface – there are the stories, faces and daily needs of many Calabrian families experiencing difficult times. This good service is an act of profound social equity, designed to guarantee the right to care and assistance for our elderly, people with disabilities and vulnerable minors, without the cost of fees becoming an unsustainable burden for families. There is also a strong gender value in this measure: we know well that care work within the home still falls predominantly on women. Offering financial support for access to quality accredited facilities means lightening this burden, restoring space and serenity to the women of our land”.
“I want to underline a qualifying aspect – continued councilor Straface – these resources are entirely additional. They do not replace ordinary social policies, but complement them, strengthening them. We have in fact approved in advance, with DGR number 40 of 12 February 2026, the programming of the National Fund and the Regional Fund for Social Policies. We are talking about a volume of almost 30 million euros allocated to the territorial network of services, to the LEPS, to protected resignations, to the program PIPPI and the supervision of the staff. On this solid basis of continuity, the good service represents a further and extraordinary step. Ours is a dynamic and careful planning: we will closely monitor the response of the territories and we are already ready to evaluate an increase in the overall financial allocation if the needs expressed by the local communities require it. The fundamental objective is to make the real presence of the institutions felt through a proximity welfare capable of providing certain answers and effective protection to those who live in fragile conditions”.
The Service Voucher consists of a public contribution – personal and non-transferable – paid directly to the accredited structure (pursuant to Regional Regulation 22/2019), chosen by the family, to fully or partially cover the tuition fee, for a maximum duration of 12 months for the period between 1 January and 31 December 2026. To access the measure, an ISEE indicator of the family unit not exceeding 25,000.00 euros, together to an Individualized Project developed by social services which certifies the real care need of the beneficiary, identified as self-sufficient or partially non-self-sufficient elderly people in a fragile condition, vulnerable minors or people with certified disabilities.
Following the approval of the decree, the Calabria Region will proceed with the signing of collaboration agreements with each of the 32 Social Territorial Areas (ATS). The same areas will then publish their respective public notices addressed to citizens in the following days, managing the collection of applications, the formulation of the rankings – which will give priority to the lowest ISEE and family dependents – and the disbursement of contributions to the structures, making the measure fully operational in the territory.
The 6.5 million euros of the first annuity are distributed among the various local areas: for example, among the provincial capitals, 641,510 euros are allocated to the ATS of Reggio Calabria, 608,021 euros to Cosenza, 600,059 euros to Catanzaro, 208,673 euros to Crotone and 184,958 euros to Vibo Valentia. The complete distribution for all 32 territorial areas and the complete documentation of the decree can be consulted on the institutional portal of the Calabria Region.