The Canary Islands Housing Institute has offered to provide housing to Sinforiano and Pilar, the elderly couple from Argana who are awaiting eviction. According to sources from this institution to La Voz, the Institute has already contacted the Arrecife City Council to inquire about this case and "find them a living space," in case they are willing to leave their home. It was learned this week that the Court has issued a new eviction order for this couple, on March 10.
According to explanations from the Institute, it was the director of the agency himself who, upon learning of the case, decided to initiate "negotiations" with the Arrecife City Council and is now working to "find a solution" for Sinforiano and Pilar, who are 91 and 88 years old respectively and have been fighting against their eviction for years. According to sources from the Housing Institute to La Voz, for the moment "there is nothing consolidated" and they are studying "possibilities." They emphasize, however, that they cannot "venture the formula yet."
What they have emphasized is that they would offer Sinforiano and Pilar "always the most favorable conditions for them, especially because they are elderly people with limited resources." They also point out that "ideally" it would be to find the "solution" before the date set by the Court for the launch, "so that they have the possibility of moving before the eviction." In any case, everything will depend on whether this couple agrees to leave their home.
Facing eviction for the third time
Sinforiano Lemes and Pilar Callero have resided for more than 50 years in a house that was owned by the Church. In 2006, the Diocese of the Canary Islands sold the houses to a company, Juan Antonio Rivera S.L., Iveco. Since then, this couple has been fighting to stay in the house. This week it was learned that the Court had set a new date for their eviction. With this, it is already the third time that the elderly have faced an eviction order.
Their eviction had been paralyzed since May 2014, when the Diocese delivered a document in which the company committed to allowing the tenants to remain in the house "until their death" or, failing that, to relocate or compensate them.
In addition to the eviction procedure, which is being handled by the Court of First Instance Number 4 of Arrecife, there is another legal case regarding the sale of those houses. That second procedure arose from the lawsuit of this elderly couple against both the company and the Diocese of the Canary Islands. Juan Antonio Rivera S.L. tried to stop that case, arguing that the contract he signed with the Church was "res judicata" and could not be submitted to Justice again. The Court disagreed with that view and the procedure is currently being carried out in parallel with the eviction. After more than a year of paralysis, it was the company itself, according to sources close to the elderly this week, who initiated the procedures in October to resume the eviction of the elderly.