The 29th contest of the Accessible Rent Program (PRA) was drawn on Monday instead of the scheduled Tuesday, resulting in its annulment due to the breach of required regulatory formalities of public transmission, along with the previously announced date and time, as clarified by the Lisbon City Council, led by PSD/CDS-PP.
In statements today to Lusa, Ana Gaspar, who was selected for housing, mentioned that families are distraught and uncertain of their situations as many had already withdrawn from their current residences due to their selection.
“On June 16, all candidates received emails with housing information. My children and I were overjoyed. As a result, I informed my landlord that I would be moving out as housing had been allocated to me. I still don’t know when I need to vacate. Now, I must muster the courage to call and say I was mistaken,” she said.
“On June 16, we went to the Lisbon City Council to proceed with the document process. I even visited the site to confirm the location. The council gave us the floor plan. The next day, on June 17, we received an email stating the draw was canceled, which I couldn’t believe. It’s unacceptable,” she stated.
Gaspar further expressed disappointment over the council’s lack of an apology email to the families.
“Families are experiencing severe psychological issues, including anxiety attacks. One person gave up a job opportunity in Porto because of the draw. Another person’s daughter felt unwell and ended up in the hospital. Some are sick at home. People are in considerable vulnerability, at risk of ending up on the street as many, like me, informed landlords they would be leaving,” she explained.
Gaspar shared that many families, in tears, approached the Lisbon Council, only to be told to wait for communication.
“We want to know the council’s next steps and what guarantees we have. Legally, I’m unsure how protected we are since I haven’t spoken to a lawyer,” she said.
Gaspar suggested another draw should be conducted with all entrants, excluding the 133 affected families, as she believes the municipality has more houses available.
Gaspar also mentioned that the families have initiated an online petition seeking a resolution and clarification of the issue.
Housing councilor Filipa Roseta (PSD) mandated an internal investigation on Wednesday to determine the facts and potential responsibilities, stating its conclusions will be made public to ensure transparency of the whole process as a reliability factor in practices followed so far.
Following the inadvertent annulment of Monday’s draw due to “technical reasons,” the council informed the candidates of the 29th PRA contest that a new procedure will take place, with the public draw set for June 27 at 3:30 PM, including the same pool of contestants.
