Given what was presented before (see part 1 of this article), EAPN Portugal believes that:
- Given this situation, it is essential to ensure that the population has access to credit that is affordable to their income. It is necessary to avoid evictions and bank defaults, ensuring stability for families who have become more vulnerable as a result of the crises (epidemic and inflationary) and are forced to pay interest rates that are not compatible with their income.
- In the same way, it is necessary to pay attention to the issue of rent arrears, avoiding extreme situations in which the courts order the eviction of families.
- It is necessary to increase the availability of social housing and affordable rent and in this respect we could look at other European examples. In some German cities, such as Berlin and Hamburg, cooperation agreements are made between municipalities and developers, setting annual construction targets and allocating 30% of new buildings to be rented out to low- and middle-income families. Similar experiences have been developed in Austria, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Sweden.
- In the field of renting, it may be necessary for the state and developed legislation to play a mediating role in the relationship between landlords and tenants. Think, for example, of the support provided for improving the energy efficiency of buildings - tenants can't apply, because the application has to be made by the property owner, and landlords may not be interested in making this investment. Or in some cases, by doing so, they end up raising rents in a way that is unaffordable for tenants (on the basis of an investment that was not even made by them, but financed by the state).
- It is necessary, from the outset, that the funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan earmarked for housing are effectively and fully applied, in a fair and equal manner, throughout the national territory, according to the needs of each municipality, and not according to the size, capacity and technical resources for submitting applications or the political influence of the municipalities.
- It's important to promote rehabilitation actions (both of a functional nature and in the context of promoting greater energy efficiency in buildings), but investment can't just be focused on rehabilitation; construction is needed for affordable rentals (as opposed to the construction for the real estate market that we've seen recently, which comes at very high prices). When we talk about rehabilitation, most of the beneficiaries will be people who already have a home, but it is essential to give a full response to those who don't have a home at all, and to those who are forced to move due to lack of access to housing closer to where they work or study.
- In Portugal, in addition to the programs provided for in the PRR, the Mais Habitação (More Housing) package includes other responses, but the measures above all require urgency in their implementation and, certainly, significant financial investment. The housing problem in Portugal has taken on disproportionate proportions in recent years and this package of measures will take some time to be implemented, which will increase costs for families and, above all, will not resolve some urgent situations immediately.
- The role of local authorities will be crucial and it will be necessary to mobilize the institutional players who can bridge the gap with potential beneficiaries in order to provide them with the necessary information about their rights and the means they need to access them. The involvement of municipalities, parish councils, social solidarity institutions and civil society organizations should be central to clarifying, referring and directing people who could benefit from the measures.
- We can't forget the key role that Local Housing Strategies will play. However, we will certainly have a long way to go before these instruments are fully implemented throughout the country. In addition, they must be based on a rigorous diagnosis and updated in good time.
- At the same time, it is essential that there is a link between land use planning and mobility planning. People's lives are made up of several dimensions - their home, their work, bringing up children, supporting and caring for family members, access to health, cultural and other services. But who lives in our cities these days (some elderly people? Tourists? Foreign residents? The rest of the population is losing its capacity to do so at great speed) There must be a concern to provide people with conditions that allow them to access the different services and play the different roles in their lives in a harmonious way.
- Attention should be paid to rural and semi-rural areas, which have their own specific problems in this area and should be the target of intervention and specific legislation. Housing tends to be cheaper outside cities, but there is a lack of employment opportunities and limited access to essential services and efficient transportation services in rural areas.
- It is necessary to increase public power over the real estate market. States can no longer outsource their responsibilities to the market and must ensure that people living in poverty have access to quality, affordable housing.
- Housing must be treated as a human right and not as a consumer good, and all citizens must be trained and empowered to know their legal rights. And while states must take responsibility for guaranteeing access to housing for all, citizens and civil society must be meaningfully included in this process. In particular, the experience of people living in poverty must be valued and integrated into housing policies. I'm talking about effective participation. People and families must be listened to and their opinions and difficulties must be taken into account in order to improve public policies and services.
- There is also a need for greater and better monitoring of cases over time. The social support provided by services cannot be piecemeal - providing food, or housing, or financial support - there must be comprehensive and transversal monitoring and support for the various dimensions of people's lives (employment, education and lifelong training, health, etc.).
- It is essential that the state promotes fair taxation that safeguards people's interests, particularly those in the most vulnerable situations, as a way of combating social inequality in Portugal.
- Another key aspect is that policies - and we are talking about structural policies - cannot be thought of and approached in a sectoral way. In order to achieve an effective and positive housing policy for all citizens, it must be developed in permanent and fruitful articulation with economic policies, social protection policies, employment, health, education, mobility and security. The solution for housing requires opting for a new model of society.
Naturally, it is essential to link up with various strategies that are under development, but I would highlight the link with the National Strategy to Combat Poverty, so that the housing sector can also play its part and contribute to the fight against poverty in Portugal, a national goal.
- I would also add that it is essential to define a medium and long-term plan. Measures with an immediate and temporary effect are important and necessary at the moment, but they are remedial and do not solve the problems at their root. It is important to plan and decide so that a situation like the one we are currently experiencing does not happen again.
In conclusion,
It is increasingly important to defend the human being in its entirety - as a biopsychosocial anthropological being - since, in order for everyone to have a full life, all of these areas touch each other and are interdependent. Human beings cannot be thought of only in terms of their need to have a roof over their heads and food to survive. They must have access to healthcare, access to education, social integration... because human beings live in families and communities, and flourish in this interaction. But, in fact, decent housing is the basis for a fulfilling life, because the home is the center of everything. Of the family, of warmth, of security and of freedom to make choices.
The Right to Housing has never really been considered as having to be guaranteed by the state. It was forgotten. Today we are seeing greater attention being paid to this issue and the discussion is important, but the key will be the effective implementation of measures to ensure that everyone has a home and that particular attention is paid to those who are most vulnerable. We're at a particularly important moment because of all the investments made by the PRR and Portugal 2030, and let's make the most of it. Wasting this opportunity could jeopardize the future of our young people.
EAPN Portugal is committed to this issue and that's why it participates in various events like today's and seeks to produce information on the subject, always with a particular focus on listening directly to people living in poverty. Listening to vulnerable people is fundamental to building a process that targets them directly. We believe that this is a fundamental condition for the continuation - and above all for the success - of any public policy, particularly in the area of housing. Forums like the one we're going to attend today are fundamental for forming opinions, increasing knowledge and influencing policies.
Father Jardim Moreira, EAPN Portugal
Speech given at PATORREB 2023 - 7th conference on building pathology and rehabilitation (26.09.2023) - Part 2
