Francisco César (leader of the PS political party) warned this Friday of the difficulty in accessing affordable housing, especially among young people, and called for the urgent adoption of concrete measures to meet the real needs of the Azoreans.

Pointing out that “more than 70% of young people can’t get affordable housing” due to the discrepancy between rising housing prices and wage growth, the Socialist, who was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting with the Habitat Açores movement, considered it essential to “act now” to implement effective measures.

“First and foremost, we have to invest in partnerships with the private sector, housing cooperatives, incentives so that the private sector can build more and at affordable prices,“ but also allocate ‘part of Caixa Geral de Depósitos’ resources to local authorities,” he said.

For the Socialist candidate for the legislative elections on May 18, and given the proximity of the municipalities to the people, “if part of these profits are allocated to the municipalities, it will be possible to build housing for the middle class and those who need it most in a short space of time”.

On the occasion, the Socialist leader also defended the application of a reduced VAT rate on construction for houses that can be put on the market at affordable prices, either through controlled costs or other types of modality, which would allow “people to buy or rent houses that are owned by local authorities”.

Finally, Francisco César warned of the need to support families struggling with housing costs.

“We have to support those who currently have a home or who are paying rent, and we have to update the amounts of support, namely Porta 65 and the extraordinary support for those who are paying rent,” he said, adding that ”these families need help to cope with the increase in mortgage costs or to be able to buy a home with a greater contribution from the state.”

Francisco César concluded that these measures allow immediate action while the government continues to increase the public and private supply of housing.

“We can’t keep putting off solutions. Access to housing is a basic right and a priority for guaranteeing the future of Azorean families,” concluded Francisco César, the PS/Azores candidate for the national legislative elections on May 18th.

In Correio dos Açores, Natalino Viveiros-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.