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Mayor of Florence asks residents to help pensioners pay utility bills

The mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, appealed to Florentines and local businessmen to show solidarity and support single or low-income pensioners who cannot make ends meet and afford to pay for the sharply increased housing and communal services.

In recent months, gas and energy prices have risen by 50 percent in Italy. For some categories of the elderly over 65 who live on a social pension (a little over 500 euros per month) and cannot count on additional assistance from relatives and friends, the increase in tariffs has become a real blow. Desperate old people literally flooded the mayor's waiting room with pleas for help.

In order to rectify the situation at least at the local level, the mayor of Florence announced the start of the action "adopt a pensioner's account." According to Nardella's calculations, we will talk about monthly assistance in the amount of 200-300 euros, which is necessary for 20-30 thousand Florentines (about 25 percent of the city's population). Six thousand of them live below the poverty line, trying to survive on 9 thousand euros a year. Most of them are forced to save on electricity and almost completely abandon heating.

The collection of donations was entrusted by the authorities to the Montedomini Foundation, which has been helping the elderly for many years. In order to take part in the action, it is enough to send money to the account of this organization. As noted by Firenze Today, this initiative was very much appreciated by many residents of Florence, who have always been famous for their empathy. In just one day, the authorities managed to collect more than five thousand euros for the aid fund.

Mayor of Florence asks residents to help pensioners pay utility bills