Vila Franca City Hall wants to demolish illegal housing. Opposition claims

A Câmara de Vila Franca de Xira assumes the demolition of “all precarious and illegally built dwellings” in the county, with the opposition claiming a re-housement response for families who have long been waiting for a house.

After being on the news about half a year ago, Lusa returned to the neighborhoods of Clarimundo and Tardoz of Improsit in the last week of September, having confirmed that the scenario has not changed since.

This despite an operation carried out on 21 July in these two clusters of precarious housing, located in the parish of Sobralinho, in Vila Franca de Xira, district of Lisbon, have identified 11 vacant and uninhabited buildings, which would be to demolish.

The operation, triggered by the Public Security Police (PSP) but with the participation of several municipal teams (fiscalization, environmental area and social action), also identified 11 precarious housing “legally occupied”, where 37 people live.

To Lusa, the autarchy led by socialist Fernando Paulo Ferreira confirmed that “the universe of people eligible for relocation” in Clarimundo and Tardoz da Improsit “is identified, with municipal services being found to carry out actions leading to the eradication of these precarious nuclei”.

However, he continued not to answer the specific question about the plan and time targets of the relocation of families identified in the Local Housing Strategy (ELH), dated 2021.

On the question of the end of the European housing funds, of which the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira benefited, the municipality pointed out that “ELH goes beyond the deadline of the PRR [Recovery and Resilience Plan, European funds]” and that “there are other financial instruments for housing operations”.

On the other hand, the municipality reiterated that “all precarious and illegally constructed dwellings, regardless of whether they are returned or not, will be to demolish in due time”, advancing that “legal procedures are under way for this purpose”.

In the opposition, the New Generation Coalition (PSD/IL) has tried to obtain clarifications about the relocation of the residents of Clarimundo and Tardoz of Improsit, but without success.

“ Unfortunately we have the same information as the generality of people [...]. We know as well as all these families that live here,” said David Pato, alderman at Vila Franca de Xira City Council and leader of the New Generation Coalition, mm statements to Lusa in Tardoz da Improsit.

The social-democratic councilman considered that the explanations of the socialist executive have been “short, not to say any”, complaining “an effective response”.

“ How do you propose to end the tents of our municipality and how do you propose to give decent living conditions to people ", questioned, addressing Fernando Paulo Ferreira.

In an ordinary chamber meeting held on July 27, the opposition coalition questioned the situation in Clarimundo and Tardoz of Improsit and obtained as an answer the concern to ensure that “illegal barrels” do not grow in these neighborhoods.

“ But our concern is greater than that, [...] our concern is to ensure that not only do not grow illegal tents, but these people are able to live,” David Duck said.

At the meeting at the end of July, Fernando Paulo Ferreira said that “there is a very close social monitoring” of the families identified under the ELH (actually the 1st Law – Support Program for Access to Housing).

“ We know exactly who they are [...], we do not admit that they go there any more [people]”, indicated the mayor, insisting that the municipality does not have “more bumpy buildings”.

This position leads the New Generation Coalition to speak in a “Effect Ricardo Leão”, accusing Fernando Paulo Ferreira of wanting to “give a president of the Chamber of Loures” saying it will “ demolish everything”.

Although this is not “the solution” to the problem, “the truth is that it has not demolished anything,” David Duck noted.

“ The tents remain here, the returns continue, but all the others continue ", he said, questioning: "We will demolish and people stay on the street?"

Doing nothing “is keeping the ghetto,” reinforced David Duck.

“ We cannot want the communities to fit in if we do not give them opportunities to join the larger community, which is the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira ", he added.

On the other hand, the PSD/IL coalition makes it clear that the allocation of a municipal housing must be accompanied by duties.

“ The idea here is that these people may be housed in decent homes, with human housing conditions, of the 21st century, and that they also have an obligation to fulfill their responsibilities, to pay income, to keep the houses inhabited and with conditions of habitability ", defended David Pato.

“ What we do know is that today, in the 21st century, we have communities, we have elderly people, children, who continue to live in these conditions, and that, I don't think anyone will get me wrong if I say, they continue to live in tents, in a municipality of Lisbon Metropolitan Area ", highlighted.