It ended at the University of Milan-Bicocca presentation of the BASE Project (Wellbeing, Autonomy, Support, Empowerment)promoted by the Society of San Vincenzo De Paoli – Central Council of Milan and Monza and Brianza, in collaboration with LILT Milano – Monza Brianza and Associazione San Martino. The initiative, born from the Third Sector Call 2023–2025 of the Lombardy Region, represented an integrated response to the different forms of fragility: from economic poverty to work, housing, health and relational poverty.
“In these 24 months we have worked side by side thanks to a network that has focused on the achievement of autonomy and the accompaniment of the most vulnerable people”, declared Dino Bertotto, president of the Society of San Vincenzo De Paoli Central Council of Milan ODV. Bertotto’s appeal is clear: what has been built must not stop, but serve as a solid base “to counteract what is, more and more often, a true social desertification”.
A hope shared by Pier Giovanni Bellomivice-president of the Central Council of Monza, who sees in the project «the basis on which to continue building the future of our action against all forms of fragility». For Bellomi, the BASE Project was a decisive step that allowed the Central Councils of Milan and Monza – which coordinate over 90 Conferences and 1,150 volunteers for around 4,500 families – to work in a truly shared way with institutions and partners, also addressing relational poverty, marginality and loneliness.
Lamberto Bertolé, Councilor for Welfare of the Municipality of Milan, spoke at the eventexpressing appreciation for the project’s ability to act concretely in the area. «We cannot stop at lists of data or theoretical models»said Bertolé, underlining that “the real challenge is to intercept the plurality of conditions of vulnerability”. The councilor placed the emphasis on families with minors, today among the categories most exposed to poverty, who must be guaranteed “not only support, but the concrete possibility of regaining prospects and a future”.
The contribution of the Department of Sociology and Social Research of the University of Milan-Bicocca was fundamental, as it measured the impact of the project. Ivana Fellini, director of the Department, highlighted how «truly understanding the forms of fragility means combining scientific research with the concreteness of experiences». From the data, illustrated by Professor David Benassi, a complex poverty emerges: from the 253 questionnaires administered to users, a strong health fragility emerged, with over 40% of those interviewed having given up specialist visits and over 30% the purchase of medicines. Among volunteers, however, the problem perceived as most urgent is that of mental health.
On the employment front, thanks to the work of the San Martino Association, the project has achieved tangible results: 105 people reported, 80 met and 31 who found employment. «A central aspect of our work is individual guidance: we help people prepare effective curricula, prepare for interviews and develop practical skills», explained Mario Porcelli, President of the San Martino Onlus Association. Porcelli reiterated the importance of the culture of legality: «We work to build a society in which regular work is the norm and not the exception».
Anna Maria, the symbolic face of the BASE Project, was also present at the event. After a cancer diagnosis in 2021, the loss of her job and home, she found support in the project network. «I hit rock bottom after discovering the disease. My life fell apart and I lost everything,” he said. «The Society of Saint Vincent De Paul was able to look beyond my silence (…) It gave me back my dignity and hope; welcomed me into social housing, placed me on a path to work reintegration and guaranteed me, thanks to contact with LILT, the right psychological support.”
A concrete example of how welfare works “when it becomes a community”, going beyond the logic of simple reparative intervention.
