Families residing in the Talude Militar neighborhood, whose homes were ordered demolished by the Loures Municipal Council, spent another night sleeping in tents or in the open, reported a municipal deputy, confirming that the operation remains suspended.
In a statement, Kedy Santos, a CDU municipal deputy in Loures and a member of the movement Vida Justa, noted that “there are still some children” among those displaced since Monday when the Loures City Council, led by the Socialist Party, coordinated the demolition of 64 precarious homes housing 161 people.
On Monday, 51 homes were demolished, with four more following on Tuesday before the operation was halted after the Lisbon Administrative Court issued an interim suspension following an injunction filed by residents.
“Yesterday [Tuesday], I was shocked… I saw a mother sleeping with children, aged 14, 15, on a mattress, with what remained of the house and by the light of a mobile phone,” said Kedy Santos.
“I am not against actions to prevent the proliferation of shacks, but I do not think it is right to put people out on the street without a solution,” he emphasized, considering that the situation at Talude Militar “is not just the responsibility of the municipality, but also of the State.”
However, the Loures Municipal Council “has mechanisms that it is not utilizing for housing construction,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the Vida Justa movement launched a donation campaign, seeking ready-made food, canned goods, Campingaz stoves, tents, and support for transporting materials. Monetary donations can also be made (to the bank account PT50 003502160008117423068).
“There have already been donations,” Kedy Santos stated, adding that Vida Justa is mainly supporting people with food, clothing, and tents.
The deputy and activist confirmed that the demolition machines remain idle and reported that Loures municipal officials are present “intimidating people” to accept the social support offered to them.
The municipal executive assured that “food support was provided, and the possibility of the council covering one month’s deposit and another month’s rent to assist with housing rentals was offered.”
However, in Vida Justa’s view, the support in question is insufficient, placing the burden of finding a home on the individuals. “They won’t find one because it doesn’t exist at a price they can afford,” he anticipates.
Additionally, “people have to leave for work or do not want to leave their belongings unguarded” to go to the council services. “These people don’t even have time to look for a house,” he explains.
On Tuesday, the Loures Municipal Council announced in a statement that one of the 51 families from Talude Militar “was referred to a shelter” and two others “to a hotel unit.”
Today, a source from the municipality led by Ricardo Leão (PS) said that on the first day, a couple with two minors and a single-parent family with one minor were supported for one night, with other options now being considered.
“The third family who was to stay in the shelter, with support provided by ISS [Institute of Social Security], ultimately refused,” returning to the neighborhood, they indicated.
Of the 51 families occupying the demolished precarious constructions, 24 have sought the social services of the municipal council, according to the same source.
On Tuesday, the Loures Municipal Council reiterated that “it cannot and will not accept the perception that the construction of precarious housing is a legitimate response” to the housing problem in the municipality, where the waiting list for housing currently stands at about 1,000 people.
