"It is urgent to fund the homes. Right now, the situation is a complete emergency. It is an emergency for the basic needs of the children and so that people can receive their salaries," Sofia Figueiredo, director of the Akto - Human Rights and Democracy Association, told Lusa. Akto runs an emergency shelter for women and girls who are victims of gender violence and the only shelter in Portugal for children and young people identified as victims of human trafficking, said Sofia Figueiredo, adding that both are at full capacity (10 people each) and are experiencing serious problems due to delays in reimbursements for projects funded by EU funds. "The first absolute mistake is to have permanent responses with temporary funding," criticized Sofia Figueiredo, arguing that funding must come from the State Budget and be monthly. These criticisms and concerns are shared by Sara Rocha, executive director of the Family Planning Association (APF), which manages five Specialized Multidisciplinary Teams and the shelter and protection center for women victims of human trafficking and their minor children. The two officials explained that the problems are mounting due to problems with the Balcão dos Fundos -- Portugal 2030 platform, through which institutions submit applications for their projects. "The problem is that we have to submit expenses, request reimbursements, but the platform is blocked, it still doesn't work, so I can't even submit my expenses for October, but I can't tell the children: look, now you're not going to eat, you're not going to take a hot bath because the platform doesn't work," lamented Sofia Figueiredo, venting that her life has been "trying to meet the basic needs of children who are the responsibility of the Portuguese State every day." For Sofia Fiqueiredo, it is already a question of "violence and disrespect" towards the institutions that are on the ground: "I don't sleep, I have people asking me for satisfaction for not receiving a salary and I don't know what else to do," she lamented. "I am the director of an organization where I have employees who do not receive, are about to be evicted, employees who do not buy medication or who do not pay for car insurance and cannot drive because I have no way to pay. It is unacceptable that for seven months two houses have been operating without us having a penny of support," criticized Sofia Antunes, who has been warning about this situation. About three weeks ago, Akto received 10% of the funding for the projects, but the official noted that it is not enough to pay the debts, "let alone the future of salaries, rents, current expenses for electricity and water, food for the children." Sara Rocha said, in turn, that the APF only received the first advance payment for the project six months after it started. "At the moment, we do not even have any indications about the rules for requesting reimbursements for these projects, which is absolutely unbearable for an IPSS [Private Institution of Social Solidarity]. We are not the only ones in this situation, there are several IPSSs," she stressed. For Sara Rocha, there must be "a political decision" that allows new rules to be made so that it is not the associations and, above all, the people supported who are harmed because of "a computer platform that does not work as it should." The APP director warned about the fragile situation of the three Specialized Multidisciplinary Teams, which are in this situation and which supported 494 presumed victims of human trafficking last year and answered 2,161 calls on their emergency lines. "If these teams do not have funding, their operation is at risk," she warned. In order to maintain the projects, the APF has been using its resources, which results in an accumulation of debts, namely to the State, which then prevents access to funds, creating "a vicious circle." "Associations end up having to choose whether they want to pay their employees or the State and Social Security. And let's face it, stopping paying either of them is bad," she said. The APF, Akto and other organizations will request a meeting with the supervisory authority this week because, said Sara Rocha, "there has to be a political response to this impasse because it cannot be the organizations and the people supported who suffer from the fact that there are bureaucracies that do not work." Read Also: Man with "cognitive delay" enslaved for 17 years. There are 4 detainees (Portuguese version)