Secretaria-Geral do Ministério do Trabalho, Solidariedade e Segurança Social

The National Social Emergency Line (LNES), available through 144 and operating 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, marked 20 years and will now have an Integrated Response Network in Social Emergency that will allow it to be even more effective, particularly in the evenings and weekends.

This network will now be implemented, in a pilot way, in the districts of Faro and Braga, to be extended in the future to the remaining districts with a higher number of activations. This Line, which marks 20 years of operation, is available to all citizens who are in a situation of disprotection and vulnerability and who need social support, because the minimum conditions of survival are not ensured or because they are exposed to a real, current or imminent danger to their physical and mental integrity. In 2020, LNES handled more than 15,000 situations involving 20,800 people. In 2021, and by the end of August, more than 10,000 situations involving 13,600 people had already been addressed. Most referrals to the LNES are made by the citizen himself, and there are also referrals made by the police authorities and other persons or institutions. Most of the requests that reach the LNES are related to absence and loss of autonomy (for health or economic reasons), followed by evictions and evictions. Homeless people and victims of domestic violence are also among the most frequent users of the Line. They mainly contact women between the ages of 31 and 64. The line works 24 hours a day and the professional who answers the calls is qualified and able to elaborate the diagnosis and define the best strategy of action. The effective response capacity, which includes the implementation of this most appropriate action strategy, depends on the possibility of mobilising the appropriate resources and means in a timely manner, an aspect that is even more important at night, public holidays and weekends. With the Network launched today, this capacity to act will be strengthened in these periods through the mobilization of a set of institutions with intervention on the ground, making it possible to give an immediate response, including accommodation, at all times of the day and week. This will make it possible at all times to meet people where they are. According to the Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, Ana Mendes Godinho, "the creation of this emergency network is a decisive step towards the capacity of personalized response for those who need it most, in situations of social emergency, for which 144 is available 24 hours a day and 365 days a year".

Source: Government Portal