(Ven-Global News) - "Mission Negra Hipólita has provided care to 13,000 homeless people living in extreme poverty all around Venezuela up to the first semester of the year 2007, informed the Venezuelan Minister of Participation and Social Protection, David Velásquez.

Around 5,000 out of the 13,000 benefited people are now in Care and Rehabilitation Centers.

'This number varies in accordance to the desertion levels, which is about 30 percent of the population living in the streets helped by this social program,' explained Minister Velásquez.

He reiterated that homeless people access Mission Negra Hipólita's care and rehabilitation programs voluntarily.

Likewise, he pointed out that about 900 homeless people were approached in Caracas in May 2007 and 'over 4,000 people in the year 2007'.

He mentioned that 35 NGOs are developing nationwide care, rehabilitation and training programs aimed at people living in the streets through the Ministry of Participation and Social Protection.

Minister Velásquez said they are incorporating the Protection and Social Equality Committee (Copis, Spanish acronym) in order to strengthen Mission Negra Hipólita.

'In this sense, we are putting forth a pilot plan nationwide involving 100 Copis, which will be granted resources to implement the social protection plans in their communities. These plans include care, rehabilitation, training and prevention.'

In addition, Velásquez said that his office and the National Institute of Statistics (INE, Spanish acronym) endorsed an agreement in order to conduct a census on the people living in the streets.

'This record or census will provide qualitative and quantitative information making possible to identify the fields of rapprochement, levels of care, the goals we must achieve in the next six months, and the results we expect to obtain,' he highlighted.

The Venezuelan Minister also recalled that this Mission has offered integrated care to 13,000 people living in the streets and extreme poverty, including pregnant adolescents, people with disabilities and the elderly.

Mission Negra Hipólita was created on January 4, 2006 though presidential decree. Since it was launched, it has developed an extremely important social work implying the identification of structural problems and the integrated recovery of individuals and their environment aimed at their reincorporation into society".