The Platform for Dignified Housing of Lanzarote has stated that the Government of the Canary Islands has committed to deliver a social housing unit next week to Juan Tenería, a resident of Arrecife who has an eviction order for this Friday, which will be attempted to be postponed.
"We have met today with a social worker who has acted as an intermediary between Juan and the Government of the Canary Islands and has brought us a paper with an agreement that next week he will be given a social housing unit in Fuerteventura, in Antigua," explained Elsa Betancort, one of the representatives of the Platform for Dignified Housing of Lanzarote, who denounced Juan's "critical" situation in the face of the imminent eviction.
And, two days before it, the group assured that although the Government of the Canary Islands had committed to giving him a social housing unit, Juan had "not yet" received official confirmation. In addition, this man, who suffers from a "serious physical disability" since "he lost his legs years ago and moves in a wheelchair", was hospitalized "as a result of a serious lung infection", although he was finally discharged on Wednesday afternoon.
Request to postpone the eviction
Now, after a commitment agreement has finally been signed by the Government of the Canary Islands, a request will be made in court to postpone Juan's eviction, so that he can remain in the garage where he lives in Valterra "until the contract is signed and the keys are handed over." "I don't think the Court will say no, because we are not even asking for a month, but simply until this process is completed, which will be a week or two at most," he said.
According to the representative of the Platform for Dignified Housing of Lanzarote, although Juan does some woodworking with his hands, "he cannot work due to his disability" and therefore "the only way he found to live was the garage, which he enabled as a home". "Because it was at a low price, which was what he could pay because he only receives 400 and something euros in pension," explained Elsa Betancort,
However, although the group assures that this man "has been paying the rent", it states that the owners decided "not to renew his contract" and that, therefore, they went to court to issue an eviction order.
