The Huesca region, Cinca Medio, has been waiting for almost two decades for the opening of a public residence for the elderly. The project, approved in 2006 and located in the municipality of Fonz, was born from the need to guarantee local residential spaces for an increasingly aging population. However, although the structure of the building is practically complete and more than five million euros of public funds have been invested, the residence still does not offer a single accommodation.
Faced with this situation, residents across the region have created the Regional Platform for the Residence of Cinca Medio, a “citizen, non-partisan and heterogeneous” movement that seeks to give visibility to a problem that they consider “a territorial injustice that can no longer be ignored.” The platform demands that an essential service be guaranteed to elderly people in the region and denounces that the lack of places forces many people to abandon their environment, separate from their family and lose part of their autonomy and well-being.
According to Teresa Omenat, spokesperson for the platform, the need to open the residence is “imperative”. He explains that after the closure of the old regional residence in 2012, the construction of this new center was planned with an initial investment of 4 million euros and Fonz was chosen as the site due to its size and accessibility. The works suffered stoppages in 2009 and subsequent bureaucratic delays, and although in 2022 and 2023 it was agreed to invest 2.65 million to launch at least 36 squares, the works remain unfinished.
A resident of Fonz highlights the paradox: “The building is practically finished, more than five million euros have been spent and it has not yet been inaugurated. This creates an absolute disaster for the region and prevents the creation of the necessary jobs.”
The mayor of Fonz, María Clusa, confirms that the delays are linked to both regulatory changes in construction and cohabitation units and the lack of sufficient funding from the region. “The structure is ready, the kitchen designed and the facilities prepared to place the equipment; what is missing is the political will and financial support to carry out the project,” he says.
The Regional Platform requires a public and verifiable timetable for the opening of the residence, the guarantee of financing to complete the work in progress and transparency on the progress of the project. They also launched a petition on Change.org to put pressure on the relevant administrations and make residents’ demands visible.
On December 13, they officially presented the platform to Cofita and Fonz. They hope to mobilize citizens and ensure that the center opens its doors as quickly as possible. “Our seniors deserve to live close to their home and family, with dignified and quality care. Residence is a right, not a privilege,” they emphasize from the platform.
This media outlet attempted several times to contact the Cinca Medio Region to find out its position on the project and the accumulated delays, but did not receive an answer to its questions.
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