Francisco César defended extending national measures to support housing purchases to the Autonomous Region of the Azores, considering it essential to “utilize all available funds” to address the worsening housing crisis in the archipelago.
During a visit to the parish of Ponta Garça, in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo, the Socialist leader stressed that there is “a set of national supports that should be extended to the whole country, namely support for those who have difficulties paying their rent or those who pay very high mortgage rates”.
In this sense, the Socialist candidate for the legislative elections on May 18 advocated making better use of the funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), but also that “the dividends from Caixa Geral de Depósitos could be used to finance the municipalities in the housing responses that are needed”.
“We need to do things differently, because what is being done isn’t getting results,” said the Socialist.


Reinforcing the idea of a new approach to housing policies in the region, based on concrete proposals, such as those presented by the PS within the scope of the Region’s Budget, the Socialist leader recalled that “the Socialist Party has proposed a set of partnership programs with the private sector, so that they can build, using government land, and then providing affordable housing”.
“We have to change the way we act in this matter. The municipalities are doing their part. Here in Vila Franca do Campo, for example, the municipality has rehabilitated around 28 apartments, for which it had around 300 applications,” said the Socialist, lamenting that, on the other hand, the Regional Government has only built ‘one house a year, on average’ and that it is around six months late in paying those who take advantage of the ‘Casa Renovada, Casa Habitada’ program.
On the occasion, Francisco César also warned of the inadequacy of current regional policies, many of which “are already more than five years old and still come from the Socialist Party governments”.

In Diário dos Açores-Osvaldo Cabral, 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.