in Lisbon, the housing crisis is affecting many families, who sometimes find themselves on the street

In Lisbon, more than 26,000 families live in substandard housing. Added to this is a rise in rents, which makes renting inaccessible for many: + 53% on average in the space of five years.

Paulo and his family were left homeless. The owner who rented them accommodation took advantage of a domestic accident to take the keys back from them and rent this apartment again at a higher rate after having done some work: “Our kitchen caught fire, because of a machine. There were lots of rats in the apartment. They must have caused a short circuit”, says Joao, Paulo’s partner.

“We’ve been living in hotel rooms for three months”

“We’ve been living in hotel rooms for three months, we even spent a night in a van with the children”, testifies the mother of the family. “We even had to spend a night on the street”, Paul is sorry. In Portugal, having a rental contract is compulsory, but the owners do not respect the law. Paulo and his family were not protected by a lease, like many families living in precarious housing in the Portuguese capital.

Paulo works full-time at the neighborhood town hall. He earns 760 euros per month, which is no longer enough to cover rent in Lisbon. “It’s inhuman. I’ve been full-time for ten years, and I’ve been paying my taxes just to have a house, and not find myself in this situation. I work every day, it’s unfair. J am ashamed to be Portuguese.”

Excerpt from “The Portuguese upheaval”, broadcast in “We, the Europeans”, April 13, 2023.

> Replays of France Télévisions news magazines are available on the Franceinfo website and its mobile application (iOS & Android), “Magazines” section.