La Palma to open its first shelter for homeless people
La Palma is to have its own shelter for homeless people for the first time. The Cabildo de La Palma is setting up the facility with 25 places, in collaboration with the Catholic charity Cáritas. The plan was announced in a note from the island council reported by eldiario.es / La Palma Ahora in late August 2026.
Photo: MOs810, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Symbolbild).
The shelter will occupy a Church-owned building in the municipality of El Paso that had already been used to help vulnerable people. After the necessary works, it is to be converted into a specialised social-care resource. It is the first shelter of its kind on the island.
What is planned
According to the note issued by the Cabildo de La Palma, the island's first shelter for homeless people will offer 25 places. The project is run jointly by the Cabildo and Cáritas. The aim is to give people without a fixed roof over their heads dignified accommodation and professional support.
Until now, La Palma had no such facility. The island says it is closing a gap in the social safety net that local social organisations have been pointing to for years. Several Canary Islands media reported the plans, citing the island council's note.
A Church-owned building in El Paso
The shelter is being created in a building owned by the Church in the municipality of El Paso. According to the reports, the property had already been used to help vulnerable people. It requires conversion and repair work for its new purpose before it can begin operating.
The island council did not give a specific opening date in the note quoted. Once the works are complete, the building is to become a specialised social facility tailored to the needs of homeless people.
Who will run it and what it costs
Cáritas is to take on the day-to-day running of the shelter. According to the reports, the Cabildo de La Palma is providing around 96,000 euros for the renewal of the electrical system. The total cost of the project is put at roughly 186,000 euros, with Cáritas covering a substantial part of the remaining outlay from its own resources.
The figures come from the Cabildo's note, relayed by eldiario.es / La Palma Ahora and other Canary Islands media. The partnership between the public authority and the Church-linked charity is at the heart of the model.
Why the island needs it
According to official data cited in the reports, more than a hundred people are affected by homelessness on La Palma. The Cabildo's social-action councillor, Ángeles Fernández, spoke, according to the reports, of a need that social organisations on the island had been identifying for years.
The new shelter is intended as a response to that situation. It is meant not only to provide a roof over people's heads but also to accompany them on the way back to an independent life.
What the shelter is meant to offer
According to the Cabildo, the aim is comprehensive care and professional support that should ease both personal recovery and possible reintegration into social and working life. The facility is described as a specialised social resource.
The project thus fits into a broader approach that treats homelessness not simply as a matter of accommodation but as a social task requiring professional support. The note quoted did not set out details of the daily routine or the exact number of staff.
In a medical emergency or where there is immediate danger, the nationwide emergency number is 112.
No firm opening date was given in the note quoted; the shelter is to open only after the necessary works are complete.
Key facts
- La Palma's first island-wide shelter for homeless people (Cabildo de La Palma, via eldiario.es / La Palma Ahora)
- 25 places, in collaboration with Cáritas
- Location: a Church-owned building in the municipality of El Paso, previously used to help vulnerable people
- Run by Cáritas; the Cabildo is providing around 96,000 euros for the electrical system
- Total cost of the project: roughly 186,000 euros
- Background: according to official data, more than a hundred people affected by homelessness on the island
FAQ
- What is being set up on La Palma?
- The island's first shelter for homeless people, with 25 places, run jointly by the Cabildo de La Palma and Cáritas. So the Cabildo announced, as reported by eldiario.es / La Palma Ahora.
- Where will the shelter be?
- In a Church-owned building in the municipality of El Paso that had already been used to help vulnerable people and is now being converted.
- Who will run the facility?
- Cáritas is to handle the day-to-day running. The Cabildo is providing around 96,000 euros for the electrical system, according to the reports.
- When will the shelter open?
- No firm date was given in the note quoted. The shelter is to open once the necessary works are complete.
- Why is this new?
- It is the first shelter of its kind on the island. According to official data, more than a hundred people are affected by homelessness on La Palma.
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