The perception of the degree of incidence of poverty in the municipality of Ponta Delgada by the entities that work to combat situations of poverty and social exclusion is significant.In the survey conducted to the entities involved in the fight against poverty and social exclusion in Ponta Delgada, the score most frequently given by these organizations, on a scale of 1 (not at all incident) to 10 (very incident), was seven, with the perception of poverty being higher in the city's parishes and lower in the adjacent and rural parishes of the municipality.The results of this survey, included in the Integrated Local Strategy to Fight Poverty and Social Exclusion of the Municipality of Ponta Delgada, also show that the lack of financial resources is the entities' main difficulty (affects 83% of respondents), regardless of the geographical area of operation. Then there is the lack of human resources (68%) and the lack of a concerted response between several entities (38%). Fifty three valid surveys were collected. By analyzing the institutions that operate in the city of Ponta Delgada, the conclusion is that high demand overlaps with the lack of human resources, while in this area the lack of financial resources is mentioned by 67% of respondents.The entities classify, on the other hand, the degree of performance of the Municipality of Ponta Delgada in the fight against poverty and social exclusion with a score of 5, on a scale of 1 (no action) to 10 (high degree of action): 53% of respondents say above 5 and only 17% below 5. But, once again, the analysis by geographic area of action shows differences in the perception by the entities surveyed: those operating on the northern side of Ponta Delgada have a less positive perception of the work developed by the City Council, with only 29% of respondents assigning a value higher than 5 and 29% assigning a lower value. Regarding the Council's degree of preparation for implementing measures in the future, the organizations consider that the municipality is better prepared for the adoption of policies to combat child poverty, to train its resources, for social and psychological support to families and support to the population in case of housing shortage; but, on the negative side, they point to the need of fighting drug addiction and decreasing the number of homeless people.Entities were also asked whether the pandemic had a negative effect on combating poverty and social exclusion: 50 out of 53 respondents said yes. Most vulnerable groupsFor the respondents, the groups that are most vulnerable to situations of poverty and/or social exclusion in the municipality of Ponta Delgada are (almost unanimously) the unemployed population, people with low education, training or qualifications and people living with substance abuse (alcohol, drugs or others). But, when restricting the analysis to respondents from the southern side of the municipality of Ponta Delgada, the most mentioned group, with a representation of 82%, is people living with addiction, while, on the north side of Ponta Delgada, respondents mentioned people with low levels of education, training or qualifications (86%).More than half of those surveyed consider unemployment to be the single most justifying cause of people falling into poverty and/or social exclusion. The lack of health services is the least mentioned condition, with only 3.8% of respondents indicating this cause. For 89% of the respondents working in the city of Ponta Delgada, low pensions are the reason that best justifies people entering a situation of poverty and/or social exclusion, followed by the cost of living, unemployment, low wage levels and precarious employment. Organizations suggest measures for the elderly and familiesAmong the most relevant measures to support the elderly in preventing and combating poverty and social exclusion are the diversification and expansion of spaces to host these people, as well as the promotion of mechanisms to assist in the transition between working life and retirement, the promotion of cultural initiatives and the creation of psychosocial home support. Among families, measures promoting employment through local initiatives are considered relevant, and priority is given to measures that promote the qualification and promotion of housing accessibility conditions.Pandemic and war aggravated situations of need and addictionFor the diagnosis of poverty and social exclusion in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, interviews were also carried out with some entities, which reported that in the period prior to the pandemic there was an improvement in known poverty situations, but, with Covid-19 and, later, with the war in Ukraine, they actually got worse. There are now more requests for food support, more drug addiction related to the spread of new psychoactive substances, difficult access to overly expensive housing, and more crime, especially cases of domestic violence. Respondents also mention the worsening of mental health conditions, in part related to new “synthetic” drugs, which have also contributed to the increase of homeless people, while the Council seems to not address the problem.From the perspective of the entities interviewed, in order to mitigate the situations verified in the municipality, it will be necessary that both City Council and government reinforce social policies with a view to reduce those situations and to promote greater networking between Private Social Solidarity Institutions (IPSS). It is reported that, although ISSA is fostering greater articulation between the institutions, “the lack of technicians on the ground remains an adversity”. The lack of concerted work among local actors, motivated, in part, by the few qualified human resources of the institutions, is one of the biggest gaps pointed out. And this shortcoming, like financial difficulties, is a major difficulty for the institutions to be able to carry out wider work individually. The lack of accountability and social awareness is also pointed out as a hindering element for the development of more efficient work, with more successful results. “The stigma associated with certain people who have already faced certain problems hinders their process of social reintegration and, consequently, the work carried out by organizations,” as stated. In this sense, it is stated that this situation proves the relevance of developing awareness initiatives aimed at both society and companies, in order to facilitate the social and labor reintegration of the socially excluded population. Outlined Action Plan to fight poverty and exclusionIn the Integrated Local Strategy to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion, 71 actions were structured, divided into eight strategic objectives, in turn integrated into five priority intervention areas. Thus, in the area of Education and Training, the goal is to reduce poverty and social exclusion of children and youth by: promoting public spaces for municipal occupation programs for adolescents and young people without and with disabilities; carrying out universal prevention in schools for new psychoactive substances and drugs; supporting non-formal learning and the promotion of personal, social and parenting skills; increasing vacancies in CATL and the inclusion of children and young people with disabilities; raising awareness for positive parenting and the rights of children and young people; supporting the dissemination of a network of nannies; extending the ATL timetables; creating a municipal program for practicing personal and social skills with children and young people, among other actions. Promoting school success and combating absenteeism at all levels of education is another strategic objective.In the area of Social Protection, the goal is to develop mechanisms that promote active aging and new solutions for the elderly, people with disabilities or mental illness and dependents who need support, with such initiatives as: free public transportation for the elderly, the creation of Life Units for people with mental conditions, the creation of a municipal mobile technical intervention team to support inclusion with a focus on the addicted population, and the creation of a municipal social protection office, among other measures.In the area of Housing, the goal is to strengthen responses, by reviewing the Rental Incentive Program and reducing taxes; as well as reducing the number of homeless people, with outreach technical teams, a monitoring system for homeless users, a prototype of the Housing First project, family diagnosis (especially in cases of addictions), and mapping the coverage of institutions, among other actions.In the area of Employment, enabling a healthy lifestyle and reducing addictions is one of the strategic objectives to be achieved through: encouraging the practice of shared mobility, promoting actions to prevent and combat various forms of addiction, strengthening the presence of psychologists and rehabilitation therapists in local entities and stimulating IPSS, training actions on the importance of social responsibility for governing bodies of local companies, extending the Router Network - Socio-Economic Network of Inclusive Answers in the promotion of Youth Employment, and holding an annual job fair.Promoting employment and financial autonomy for people with disabilities, mental health problems and other forms of social exclusion is another strategic objective, to be achieved through actions such as monitoring the beneficiaries of social support by identifying a professional responsible for signaling / coordinating with the competent authorities, as well as creating psychosocial teams and community outreach and support to families at risk, among others.In the area of Culture and Health, it is intended to use mechanisms and projects in complementary areas that minimize poverty and social exclusion.