The Platform for People Affected by Mortgages has "re-housed" a mother and her children, aged 2, 3, and 9, in a home on Mario Benedetti Street in Arrecife. This is Cristina, a mother in a situation of unemployment who has a monthly income of 426 euros "with which she tries to support her family", according to the PAH. "Logically, it's not even enough to pay the rent; literally," they denounce. Faced with this situation, the Platform's "wise women" have 'occupied' a home belonging to Sareb, known as the "bad bank", for Cristina and her children, claiming that Sareb, created by the State after the "bailout" of the banks, "is ours; and so are its houses".
"Cristina and her children have the right to a home, not out of charity, but because the law, not only national, says so. It is their right and they are going to exercise it; and anyone who wants to deprive them of that right will have the PAH in front of them," the Platform emphasizes in a statement. The PAH reports that this family has already suffered an "illegal eviction" from the "occupied house", owned by Bankia, in which "they were forced to move in to avoid spending Christmas on the street".
Unable to cope with the rent and facing the "threat of eviction", Cristina began a "journey" in search of help, they say. According to them, it was the social worker herself who recommended that this mother turn to the Platform, after informing her that "help can only be received for two months of rent and provided that a board approves such aid". "Social workers recognize that insufficient aid is useless and does not give stability to the family," the PAH emphasizes. This is how Cristina and her children were housed by the Social Work of the PAH in that first property owned by the bank, from which they were evicted, and now in this house of Sareb.
"It shouldn't be the job of the Three Wise Men, but of the State"
"Bankia and the complicity of the justice system threw them out on the street and kept all their belongings", they point out, while asking: "what does Bankia want with the toys of some children?, how can a judge endorse that?". "Cristina's children know that the Kings are not going to leave them toys, nor do they want them. They are more urgent to have a stable roof to live under and as they live in a country where children are allowed to live on the street without the state worrying, today the Kings with a little help from the PAH are going to make their wish come true", the statement continues.
In this sense, the Platform claims that the "wish" of this family "is their right and it should not be the job of the Three Wise Men, but of the State, to ensure compliance with the laws and rights and of the citizens". "And yes, the right to private property is also a right, but the Constitution subordinates it to the general interest. The right to a decent life and the rights of children must prevail over any other interest," they add.
The house in which Cristina and her three children will now live belongs to Sareb, known as the "bad bank". Now, "negotiations" will begin with the entity, to "reach an agreement that will conclude with the signing of a social rental contract that fits the income of the affected party", the PAH states.
It was the Platform itself that convened the media this Monday afternoon to "make visible" the situation of this family. "The PAH, through its Social Work, promotes the recovery of empty houses owned by banking entities so that they serve the purpose for which they were created, to house people. It is not about occupying homes in a hidden way, but about all of us being able to make visible the real problem of a family that is left on the street while there are homes that banks keep empty for years and years", they point out in the statement.
"Sareb is ours"
"Sareb was created, as a blank check, to re-inject public capital into private entities. After rescuing private financial entities with billions of public money. After absorptions and mergers without taking control of any of these, the Spanish State creates an entity, Sareb, which buys all the unwanted assets of the bank", explains the PAH in its statement.
For the Platform, this constitutes "a five-star facelift paid for with other people's money". "In return, our Government offers us cuts in education, health, even cuts our freedom of expression, and continues to evict families who do deserve to be rescued," they emphasize. Thus, for the PAH, "Sareb is ours, and so are its houses". "The Spanish Government, in the face of the crisis, chose to save the banks with public money instead of using it for social aid, which is tremendously necessary," they add.
"Without this aid, many families cannot cope with the payment of housing, and it is then that they are evicted," the Platform emphasizes, which points out that it is to Sareb where "practically all these houses that were taken from us have ended up". Underlining that the housing stock of this bank amounts to more than 100,000 houses, the PAH emphasizes that these houses "are ours", because "we have paid for them more than enough". "Paying an exorbitant mortgage for years"; "with billions of public money, more than 65,000 million euros of our money"; "with unfair cuts that have ended up with the most needy", they list.
Create a housing park with the houses of Sareb
For the Platform, "the set of more than 100,000 homes in the possession of Sareb could be the beginning of the change in the housing plan of this country". "There cannot be distressed families without knowing where to sleep, what to eat... Children, the elderly... and have 100,000 empty flats, waiting for the bubble to inflate again, or undersell our houses to international vulture funds at bargain prices", defends the Platform.
Thus, the PAH points out in its statement that it is "necessary" to start creating a social housing park "non-existent in our country, with fair and affordable rents". "What's more, Europe forces us to", they emphasize, while criticizing the "shameful figure" of social housing in Spain: "record, 1.1% compared to 32% in other European countries".
"We want and demand all those houses. That they return to the hands of those who paid for them and those who truly need them," they claim. "We couldn't choose whether or not to save the banks. We want to decide what to do with our houses!"
