More than 30,000 families are currently on waiting lists for housing in the municipalities of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML), based on official data.
Efforts to obtain specific numbers on families awaiting municipal housing from the Área Metropolitana de Lisboa were unsuccessful as the entity did not have aggregated data.
Out of the 18 AML municipalities, only two, Seixal and Vila Franca de Xira, did not respond to inquiries.
From the 16 municipalities that did respond, as of July, there were at least 31,035 families waiting for municipal housing. Some municipalities provided precise figures while others offered general estimates.
Lisbon leads the list with approximately 15,700 families waiting, split between 8,700 in the Supported Rent Program and around 7,000 in the Affordable Rent Program.
This is followed by Sintra with about 4,000 families, Setúbal with 1,963, Oeiras with 1,467, Cascais with 1,371, Odivelas with 1,220, Amadora with around 1,200, and Loures with about 1,000.
The rest have fewer than a thousand requests: Barreiro (812), Alcochete (462), Sesimbra (430), Moita (428), Mafra (425), Almada (280), Montijo (176), and Palmela (101).
Some municipalities provided details on the number of people these family groups represent. For instance, in Sintra, the 4,000 housing requests account for about 10,000 people, whereas, in Setúbal, this number is halved.
The Barreiro municipality further detailed that the 812 active applications represent 3,248 people, with a ‘per capita’ income averaging 325 euros.
Further inquiries were made to understand what measures are underway in each municipality to address the current crisis.
In the capital, Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, seeking re-election in October supported by PSD/CDS-PP/IL, delivered around 3,000 housing solutions in the first term.
The Sintra municipality, governed by Basílio Horta, an independent elected by PS who cannot run again due to term limits, has allocated 1,513 homes under the Local Housing Strategy. Currently, 204 homes remain vacant.
In Oeiras – led by Isaltino Morais as an independent candidate once more – 58 municipal housing units are under maintenance or renovation, and 743 are under construction for supported and reduced rent programs.
The Cascais municipality managed by Carlos Carreiras (PSD), who has reached the term limit, launched a program earlier this year to create 3,600 homes by 2028. It also opened applications for 45 affordable houses for young people under 35 and relocated professionals from health, education, security, and civil protection sectors, with applications open until August 27.
In Odivelas, under Hugo Martins (PS, seeking re-election), the rehabilitation of 52 homes is in progress, with 26 expected to be ready by October and the rest by June 2026. The construction of six projects, four of which should be completed by June 2026 and the other two by December 2027, is also underway.
The local administration in Amadora (currently led by PS with Vítor Ferreira) is constructing public housing with funding from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF, European funds). It approved in mid-July the acquisition of 22 land plots for construction and strengthening the municipal stock.
Simultaneously, the municipality acknowledges it has not yet accommodated the 711 families registered under the Special Rehousing Program residing in precarious communities in the area.
In Almada, the scenario also includes rehousing operations in two of the four precarious communities in the municipality, “which in all cases have existed for decades,” the local authority acknowledges.
Since the beginning of the term until March, the council, led by Socialist Inês de Medeiros who will run again, has made 159 municipal housing allocations, 106 of which went to families from 2nd Torrão and Teras de Abreu and Lelo Martins, totaling 300 people.
Excluded from this is the Penajóia community, the newest area of precarious homes on land owned by the Housing and Urban Rehabilitation Institute (IHRU), where an estimated 500 families live.
The local authority has “repeatedly” notified the IHRU to restore legality, “which has not occurred so far,” prompting a criminal complaint to the Prosecutor General’s Office.
During the current term, the Almada council acquired 49 homes, initiated the construction of 270, and renovated 343 municipal residences, also launching a rental support program with a maximum value of 220 euros per month, benefiting 60 families.
The Alcochete municipality (currently PS, led by Fernando Pinto) has 54 municipal homes for supported rent, all of which are “allocated.” Construction of 14 homes is underway, with the approval of eight more units.
In the Barreiro municipality (led by PS, with Francisco Costa Rosa), ten homes were allocated under the Local Housing Strategy, with preparations for 44 more housing solutions.
In Mafra, the municipality (PSD, where the current president, Hugo Moreira Luís, will run again) planned to implement 390 housing solutions and has a program supporting the rent of 130 families.
In Montijo (PS council, led by Maria Clara Silva), preparations for a competition to allocate 15 units are underway, along with the construction of 91 new homes and the rehabilitation of 100 existing ones, expected to be completed by 2026.
In Sesimbra (governed by CDU with Francisco Jesus), the three approved applications under the RRF will allow the rehabilitation of 60 municipal homes and the purchase of 88 houses.
Also led by CDU (with Álvaro Amaro), the Palmela municipality allocated 49 homes under the Local Housing Strategy. Today, it will deliver three more, with two homes undergoing rehab contract bidding and a competition for constructing 21 additional homes is ongoing.
