Italiani soli, anziani e cassintegrati: nelle mense torinesi i nuovi poveri dell'era Covid

It's ten in the morning, and a line has already formed in front of the Public Baths on Via Agliè, in the Barriera di Milano neighborhood of Turin. They're the ones who go to pick up their food parcels once a month. There are two men in line, both on furlough; they have families and can't afford all their expenses. The numbers are frightening, according to Torino Solidale, the network created by the City during the coronavirus emergency to help families in need. "Before the epidemic," explains the Welfare Department, "we served 9,000 meals a month; now the figure is around 19,000." Over the past month, 10,000 families have asked for help: "There are many Italians living alone, elderly people, and those with disabilities who come to collect food parcels," says Erika Mattarella, head of the Municipal Baths at the Barriera di Milano Neighborhood House. "Obviously, the numbers have doubled due to Covid. We have many caregivers and people who work illegally, and therefore cannot access aid. Added to these are the numbers that were already there before. Here, during the lockdown, we saw real poverty. But this is a neighborhood that helps itself." Then there are the soup kitchens, which are numerous and now, due to the virus, they only deliver hot meals; no one enters them anymore. "The numbers have doubled here too," explain Fra Mauro and Fra Davide, heads of the Sant'Antonio charity center. "What hurt us was seeing new people arrive; it was the first time for them. Some of them cried when we gave them the bag. It's a really complicated time." By Francesca Lai Subscribe to Repubblica: https://s.repubblica.it/scopridipiu . Podcasts, investigations, newsletters, and much more.