The Minister of Housing, Irene Moreira, announced that this Friday the settlement plan will be presented to the President of the Republic. “It is an issue that concerns us. Through the Rendering of Accounts they have given us a very important oxygen to be able to duplicate what was being done in the previous five-year periods, “said the minister. She explained that she worked together with the Congress of Mayors to give a national vision and work simultaneously in all departments. “Unfortunately there is no department that is oblivious to the problem of irregular settlements. The latest settlement data is from the 2011 census. We did a pre-census, especially in the settlements where we are going to work, to find out which households we are going to work in. From ten homes we consider it a settlement, the issue is that sometimes they are dispersed so it is difficult to give a precise number, but they are around between 600 and 650 settlements”, Moreira said.
He added that, in addition to the programs that the Ministry of Housing has, it will act with the entire public housing system, as is the case of Mevir or the National Housing Agency.
“The issue of housing is fundamental, but we cannot provide a home if it does not have essential services such as water and electricity. That is why joint work with OSE and with UTE is essential. It has to be a job simultaneously and coordinated with all the institutions, in order to provide a more efficient response,” said the minister.
Regarding the trust, he pointed out: “after so many years without giving a concrete answer, we are giving this initial kick that has to remain as a State policy. We expect to end this five-year period with 15% or 20% more housing solutions than the previous five-year period. We want to promote rent with option to buy. Leasing is also foreseen in the Rendering of Accounts”.
