The pressure from residents to secure a community social center in Benalúa, a commitment made over twenty years ago, is beginning to yield results. The council, governed by the People's Party (PP), approved at an extraordinary meeting of the Local Board the initiation of proceedings to lease a space in the neighborhood. This will be the first step towards establishing a social facility that will initially be provisional. The PP has already announced its plan to promote a definitive project in a new building planned for a municipal plot located on Catedrático Soler Avenue, although without any set deadlines or known budget for now.

Given the lack of deadlines for the definitive project, the decision has been made to establish a provisional senior center to meet the needs of the residents. The Benalúa neighborhood has an aging demographic structure, with approximately 9,500 inhabitants, of whom over 2,700 are over 65 years old, and between 10% and 12% of the population is over 75, according to the approved agreement.

The agreement highlights the absence of specific social facilities for seniors in the neighborhood and acknowledges the historical demand from residents, promoted by the El Templete de Benalúa Association. It emphasizes the inadequacy of current spaces to develop programs for active aging, dependency prevention, and community participation, which directly affects the senior population, the preferred target of public policies.

Consequently, the Heritage Management Service has been tasked with initiating the proceedings to lease a premises that meets the characteristics defined by the Social Welfare Service. The Social Welfare Service has also been urged to promote the search for this potential location. The search process for the premises begins now, with no budget or timeline yet established for its operational launch.

This agreement comes one day before a joint institutional declaration, promoted by the municipal groups of PSOE, Compromís, and Esquerra Unida Podem, is to be debated. This initiative urges the local government to find a solution to reinstate the service provided by the day center at Plaza de América, which closed in August 2025 and left dozens of users and their families without care.

The political proposal points out that the funding of 426,560 euros for this day center, which was included in the 2021-2024 Program Contract, disappeared from the 2025-2028 Program Contract signed between the Valencian Government and the City Council of Alicante. Therefore, a comprehensive report is required on the administrative and technical causes for the loss of authorization and funding, and efforts are urged to restore the continuity of care for the affected users.