“The main problem is, without a doubt, housing. We have cases of people who are completely evicted on the streets, not because they can’t pay, but because the owners want the houses. And others, because they can’t afford them,” Jose Ricardo Martins told Lusa news agency.
The problem affects both citizens and foreigners in the Almada diocese, where there are already some 60 nationalities.
As the rent for a one-bedroom flat accommodates the minimum wage, residents seek assistance directly from the parish council, both to pay for housing and other associated expenses (water, electricity and gas), as well as food and school expenses.
“The main deficiency that I noticed, not only for foreigners, but also for Portuguese, relates to the problem that I believe is the biggest social epidemic in the country, with housing and exorbitantly high prices, even outrageous, in terms of rent,” the mayor stated.
In office for nine years and within the framework of his last term, Ricardo Martins witnessed the difficulties faced by the population during the Troika intervention in Portugal and the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, which prompted the municipality to respond to requests for assistance that the food bank could no longer provide: “I usually ask what will happen for me too!”.
In the face of the inflationary crisis, the mayor considers that the “big difficulty” at the moment is housing. The solution, he recommends, is to build public housing, which takes time. Additionally, in the Costa region, much of the land is private property or a conservation area.
The problem is not exclusive to the parish, but giving the municipality of Almada an example, Ricardo Martins said that thousands of people are waiting for the opportunity to acquire a house through the municipal program: “There are a large number of families in Habit” Almada, who have an influence here on the coast. Recordings are waiting home, maybe we’re talking about 7,000 people.”
The parish council considers the parish center its main partner. “I am very proud to have such a strong pastoral center,” he stressed.
The mayor fears that the cases he is responding to jointly with the church and other partners may reflect what 2023 will be like. “If this escalation continues in terms of capacity and inflation, it is clear that we are going to have problems similar to those we have seen during the pandemic,” he estimated, noting that In this period 7162 people have been supported, within the scope of the Social Committee created in 2016 with various partner entities.
“Although there is some mitigation here, though not to the extent necessary, in the increase of salaries…it will not be enough for the people to be able to go about their normal lives, even if they have to give up what is not necessary,” he considered.
Kabarika has approximately 14,000 electors and about 20,000 inhabitants in the winter. New residents arrive every day from a variety of origins in search of a residence certificate, from Brazil to the UK, via Ukraine, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Nepal.
“Writer. Analyst. Avid travel maven. Devoted twitter guru. Unapologetic pop culture expert. General zombie enthusiast.”
