The Cabildo Proposes an Eviction Aid Plan for Vulnerable Families

The Housing Councilor held a meeting this past Tuesday with councilors and technicians from the seven municipalities to launch it, "in order to avoid evictions without housing alternatives"

January 11 2023 (15:48 WET)
Updated in January 13 2023 (12:27 WET)
The President of the Cabildo, María Dolores Corujo, and the Councilor for Housing of the Cabildo, Jorge Peñas
The President of the Cabildo, María Dolores Corujo, and the Councilor for Housing of the Cabildo, Jorge Peñas

The Housing Councilor of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Jorge Peñas, held a meeting this past Tuesday with councilors and technicians from the seven municipalities of the island to launch a Plan of Assistance for Eviction for Vulnerable Families, "in order to avoid evictions without housing alternatives."

“We are once again on the side of people and families with fewer resources and we do so with actions aimed at protecting them and to prevent them from being evicted without having an alternative residence, thus guaranteeing the constitutional right to housing”, says the president of the Cabildo, María Dolores Corujo.

This plan will be endowed with 400,000 euros and its purpose will be “to immediately alleviate situations of social emergency related to eviction processes and avoid situations of social exclusion”, as explained by Jorge Peñas.

“The Cabildo is especially sensitive to people and groups who are in vulnerable situations, despite the widespread environment of economic recovery and the good employment data in the archipelago and Lanzarote”, says the Housing Councilor, who points out that “as recognized by the United Nations and as stated in the Constitution, housing is the basis of stability and security of individuals and families”.

“It is the center of our social, emotional and sometimes economic life and should be a place to live in peace, safely and with dignity. Housing is not a commodity, but a human right”, he adds.

Thus, Peñas assures that “the Cabildo will continue working, in coordination with the Housing Department of the Government of the Canary Islands, with the Canarian Housing Institute and with the seven municipalities of the island to advance in public policies that facilitate access to this fundamental right of all citizens”.

 

Package of measures

Regarding the meeting this Tuesday, January 10, it was attended by some councilors from the municipalities of the island, as well as technical personnel from the areas of Social Services and Housing of the seven municipalities, together with the island councilor and the coordinator of the Housing area of the first island corporation.

"In the meeting, the housing situation in each municipality was analyzed, studying the particularities of the different areas, especially the most touristy ones, which is where the pressure of rent and the lack of residential housing is most present”, they emphasize from the Cabildo.

Likewise, there was talk of the need to provide assistance to families who cannot cope with rent or mortgage payments, especially in the face of the rise in interest rates operated by the European Central Bank “and it was agreed on the need to have an emergency resource for families who need temporary accommodation”, according to Jorge Peñas.

“Faced with the housing crisis situation in the Canary Islands, the Cabildo does not stand idly by and, apart from the measures taken by the Government of the Canary Islands, will launch a package of measures to promote access to housing, a right enshrined in article 47 of the Constitution”, explains the Housing Councilor of the Cabildo.

In this regard, Peñas recalls that “thanks to the Canary Islands Housing Plan that is already underway and the available legal instruments, such as the measure approved by the Government of Spain to limit the increase in rent provisionally to 2% and the future Housing Law, the Autonomous Community will have valid tools to limit these disproportionate increases in the stressed areas of our cities and prevent the resident population from being expelled from traditional neighborhoods because they cannot pay the price of rents”.

Likewise, he informs that the Cabildo is already processing the transfer of land owned by it for the construction of housing for social rent, as well as managing the acquisition of housing in the free market. In addition, it currently provides free advice in cases such as the registration of Valterra homes to their legitimate owners or in accessing the different lines of aid and subsidies such as rent aid or the young rent voucher.

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