Portugal: tents instead of rented housing (video)

A 30% increase in housing rents is forcing Portuguese citizens to live… in tents.

And it’s not surprising: half of the Portuguese earn no more than 1,000 euros per month, and renting a room costs about 600 euros, writes euronews. Thus, working families are forced to pitch tents and live in them.

People are protesting with “Housing is a Right” signs, but the situation is only getting worse. One of the women, Daniela, says:

“Yes, I have two children. We were looking for help, but when we asked for it, they found out that we were living in hostels. And they gave us three weeks to find housing, but we didn’t have time, and they took away custody of our children. At least until the housing situation is resolved, I can only see them once a week.”

Another tent dweller, Andreia Koshta, says:

“I paid 400 euros, and earned an average of 800 euros a month, that is, 50% went only for rent. Then you add 40 euros for a bus pass, 150 for food. It’s simply impossible…”

There is no “light at the end of the tunnel” in sight. Most likely, in line with inflation, rents will continue to rise. Housing associations and support groups for low-income citizens got the authorities to intervene in the situation and resettle the tent camp.