The President of the Republic, António José Seguro, said on Friday, 10th April, that he is “very closely monitoring” Portugal’s housing crisis, warning that wages are no longer sufficient to cover what he described as “sky-high rents” or the cost of buying a home.
Speaking on the final day of his Presidential Open Tour dedicated to regions hardest hit by the severe weather events of February and March, the head of state visited modular housing units in the parish of Pousos, in Leiria, where the local authority has temporarily rehoused residents left homeless by Storm Kristin. As may be expected, these people are keen to get back on the housing ladder, but many are left with a sour taste in their mouths over the Government’s perceived inaction.
Responding to Ana Comenda, one of the residents whom he met on the visit, who described not only the impact of the storm but also the difficulty of finding affordable accommodation, the president acknowledged the growing strain facing households.
“I am also paying very close attention to this situation because, in reality, salaries are not enough to pay the exorbitant rents that exist today or to buy a home,” he said.
Asked whether she was working, the resident explained that she was currently unemployed but undertaking a Level 4 vocational training course in the hope of securing suitable employment.
“And also to earn a salary that makes it possible to pay rent, because rents are absolutely through the roof,” Seguro added.
Comenda told the president that Portugal urgently needed to reassess its housing policies. “I am well aware. In fact, in my most recent address to Parliament, I drew attention precisely to that issue,” he replied, referring to his speech marking the 50th anniversary of the Constitution at the Assembly of the Republic.
“One of the noblest constitutional principles, that of a just and supportive society, remains unfulfilled and must be realised,” he warned.
According to the president, “new warning signs about access to housing emerge every month”, in a sector where costs are reaching historic highs and rent burden rates are “crushing household budgets”.
“The state reacted late and remains slow to respond. Let us be honest: if we are to maintain credibility in the hope we owe to our young people, urgent action and concrete results are required,” he said.
Source: LUSA
