Catalunya obrirà una línia de préstec de 50 milions per a obres de dia o residències

It will be launched in September and will provide up to 5 million per project

The Department of Social Rights of Generalitat and the Catalan Institute of Finance (ICF) will open a 50 million loan line to finance the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, or adaptation to social equipment regulations, such as day centers or residences.

This was explained in a press conference on Wednesday, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Alícia Romero, and the Minister of Social Rights, Mònica Martínez Bravo, to present the loans, which will be launched in September, although without a specific date.

The recipients of this new line, called «ICF Equipales Socials,» can be non-profit entities, foundations, local administrations, or public and private companies that provide specialized social services.

Martínez Bravo has detailed that the loans can be used for residences or day centers, but also to «innovate and advance» in assisted living in the field of disability or the elderly, as well as other residential spaces in the social field.

This measure is part of the Department of Social Rights’ willingness to create 6,000 new residential places and day centers for the elderly, people with disabilities, or mental health problems.

BEI Financing

Romero has explained that the measure is a novelty because the ICF had never promoted a line in this area and has called for the role of public banking as a «lever for transforming» government policies.

The financing comes from two loans that the ICF has recently signed with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) for an amount of 200 million euros.

In this sense, the ministers have indicated that this loan line is a first package that could be expanded and specified in a second line if there is high demand.

Character

With a total of 50 million, the loans have a 2% interest rate subsidy, managed by the Department of Social Rights through the establishment of a specific social fund of 15 million euros.

The amount of the loans will be a minimum of 50,000 euros and a maximum of 5 million, with an interest rate of the Euribor at 12 months plus a differential between 1.5% and 3% depending on the project and borrower characteristics, and you can also request an equivalent fixed-rate quote.

Romero explained that interested parties should go to the ICF’s commercial team, which will assist them in processing the application and has ensured that these loans have better conditions than those that can be obtained at a private bank.