The CDU council structure in Loures has issued a statement criticizing the lack of social support during eviction operations. The statement highlights that “these demolitions are conducted without the presence of social security or Loures Municipal Council technicians” to support families, which include over 60 children.
The Loures municipality began demolishing 64 precarious houses in Talude Militar on Monday, where 161 people reside. The municipality reported that 51 houses were demolished on the first day.
The CDU views this action as “the tip of the iceberg of a structural housing problem,” insisting that “ensuring the right to housing is a constitutional imperative.” They argue that addressing the housing crisis should not involve “punitive actions that exacerbate homelessness.”
The statement declares, “The housing issue is not solved through evictions and demolition of shanties, as these merely relocate the problem or increase homelessness.”
The coalition blames successive PS and PSD governments, as well as the current socialist municipal administration, for the lack of effective public housing policies.
“In Loures, over 1,000 families are facing eviction or housing insecurity,” the statement notes, adding that “none of the 850 new public housing units planned in 2021 were made available” and that “50 million euros from the Recovery and Resilience Plan [PRR] intended for housing projects were lost in 2024.”
The CDU advocates for measures including the revocation of the Rent Law, increasing public housing availability, setting rent caps, and extending the duration of rental agreements.
The CDU also demands that the Loures Council adopt clear and transparent criteria in managing municipal housing, viewing eviction as a “last resort” and always with social support.
The Lisbon Administrative Court has ordered the Loures Municipal Council to “halt the demolition” of homes in Bairro do Talude Militar, according to a Monday night ruling accessed by Lusa.
Lusa | 10:46 – 15/07/2025
