The project, promoted by the Cabildo of La Gomera, has been developed during 2025 in the six municipalities of the island
The actions reinforce personal autonomy and reduce pressure on social services
The Cabildo of La Gomera has promoted the program to improve accessibility in homes for the elderly on the island, an initiative developed in collaboration with Provivienda, which has made it possible to improve the habitability and accessibility conditions of around twenty homes for the elderly in all the municipalities of the island.
The actions, carried out throughout 2025, have been aimed at eliminating architectural barriers and adapting homes to the real needs of people with reduced mobility or physical disabilities, enabling them to remain in their homes in conditions of safety, autonomy and well-being.
The president of the Cabildo, Casimiro Curbelo, stressed that this project “responds to the firm commitment of this institution to direct care for older people, especially those who wish to continue living in their homes with quality of life.” Likewise, he highlighted that "collaboration with specialized entities such as Provivienda makes it possible to develop effective social policies, with a real and measurable impact on people's lives."
The program has addressed each case individually, adapting the interventions to the specific needs of each home. Among the main actions are the comprehensive renovation of bathrooms, the improvement of access, the elimination of steps and the solution of humidity problems, always within the particular properties of the beneficiaries.
In addition to the physical improvements, the project has incorporated a social component aimed at combating unwanted loneliness and strengthening the community network of the participants.
The impact evaluation presented shows that the program generates a social return of 2.27 euros for every euro invested, which demonstrates its effectiveness and social profitability. 80.3% of the value generated falls directly on the beneficiaries, reflecting a transformative impact on their daily lives.
According to Fernando Rodríguez, territorial director of Provivienda in the Canary Islands, "these data show that this pilot not only has a clear impact on the 22 people we have served: the improvement is for the entire society. The evaluation is key so that we can bet on the replicability and scale of this type of projects. If by rehabilitating 22 homes we have this data, the social impact of a greater number of homes has a lot of potential."
100% of the participants consider that their quality of life has improved after the interventions, while 90% claim to have experienced improvements in their health and autonomy, and 85% report a strengthening of their social relationships.
