Miguel Albuquerque, the president of Madeira's Regional Government, brushed off a housing rights protest planned for Funchal this Saturday. Asked about the demonstration, he pointed to his government's own construction record instead.
I build houses and then they go protest.
Miguel Albuquerque, President of the Regional Government
He made the remark on the sidelines of an event in Porto Santo, when reporters asked him about the planned march.
Housing March Takes to Funchal's Streets This Saturday
Albuquerque said he has "nothing against the protests." But he argued the real fix for housing is building more homes, not marching for them.
The march is organized by the Terreiro das Lutas group and the Plataforma Casas para Viver Madeira. It joins a national day of mobilization for housing rights.
Program Already Delivers Nearly 800 Public Homes
Albuquerque said his Executive has delivered around 800 homes through its public housing program so far. He pointed to this record as the government's answer to the housing crisis.
Waiting List Still Holds 6,000 Families
Even with that program, the backlog remains large. Regional estimates put the number of families on waiting lists for social housing alone at about 6,000. That figure excludes middle-income families priced out of the private rental market.
| Families | |
|---|---|
| On social housing waiting lists | 6,000 |
| Public homes delivered so far | 800 |
Those 800 homes cover about 13 percent of that formal backlog, using the upper end of the estimate.
Investment in Public Housing Tops 175 Million Euros
The public construction program now represents an investment of 175 million euros, according to the figures Albuquerque presented.
Albuquerque Says He Saw the Crisis Coming Three Years Ago
"And I got ahead of the country," he said. He explained that about three years ago, he had already identified the risk. Economic growth, housing demand, foreign investment and growing short-term rentals were squeezing access to housing, he said.
That assessment, he said, led the Executive to launch its public construction program and open several tenders for new housing developments.
We will continue to build quality public housing for families.
Miguel Albuquerque, President of the Regional Government
Source: dnoticias.pt
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