Vox blocks creation of a recovery centre for homeless people in South Tenerife
Plans to open a recovery centre for homeless people in the south of Tenerife have been halted after the far-right party Vox blocked a budget amendment that would have provided €325,000 in funding for the project.
The facility was intended to support people without housing who were recovering from medical treatment or surgery, but Vox rejected the proposal because it was to be managed by the Spanish Red Cross (Cruz Roja).
The Tenerife Cabildo held a plenary session on Friday to vote on the final budget amendment for 2025. The measure required unanimous support from all political groups — the PP, CC, PSOE, and Mixto — due to the special voting procedure. Vox’s refusal to support the amendment effectively stopped the funding from going ahead.
Vox spokesperson Naím Yánez argued that transferring the money to the Red Cross means that the organisation will “benefit from illegal immigration.”
“Instead of addressing the very real problems on this island, they are patching over homelessness through a grant to an entity that only worsens the serious issue of illegal immigration,” Yánez stated.
However, the island’s Social Action Councillor, Águeda Fumero, defended the Red Cross, praising its “over 100 years of humanitarian work” and expressing surprise at Yánez’s opposition, especially as he also serves as a councillor in Arona.
“We are here to support municipalities overwhelmed by a growing and complex problem,” she said, referring to homelessness in the south of Tenerife. The €325,000 allocation had been requested by residents and local councils in Arona, Adeje, and Granadilla de Abona.
PSOE spokesperson Aaron Afonso criticised Vox’s stance, warning that “whitewashing” such positions “does not benefit the island as a whole.” Meanwhile, Juan Carlos Pérez Frías, the island’s Director of Finance (CC), described the blocked proposal as having “a clear social purpose,” aimed at extending a successful Red Cross recovery service already operating in Santa Cruz de Tenerife to other areas of the island.
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