The Arona City Council is racing against time to prevent the upcoming eviction on Tuesday of 90 families comprising 210 individuals from the Chasna building in Costa del Silencio, located in the southern region of Tenerife. This action is necessitated by the structural frailty and imminent danger of collapse of the incomplete property where these families currently reside.
Despite the ongoing efforts of the local authorities to secure alternative housing for these families, no viable solutions have been found so far.
As reported by Canary Islands Now last Friday, the impending eviction at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow will affect 90 families occupying 44 residences in the building, including elderly individuals, infants, and expectant mothers. This eviction is sanctioned by the Court of First Instance number 3 of Arona, asserting the priority of people’s safety over vulnerability assessments, as mentioned by Ruth Martín, the Councilor for Social Services at the Arona City Council.
Martín affirms their efforts to urgently find a resolution, having reached out to entities like Cáritas, the Red Cross, and the Government Subdelegation in pursuit of available accommodations, including the Las Raíces migrant camps, yet to no avail.
When questioned about engagements with the Canary Islands Government, the Canarian Housing Institute, and the Tenerife Cabildo, there has been no successful intervention due to resource saturation in these institutions.
Assistance from hotels, hostels, and other lodgings is also unattainable as Martín cited the current winter tourist season, which witnesses near full occupancy until the end of March.
The notion of utilizing temporary facilities was considered but discarded to prevent setting a precedent, as emphasised by Martín referring to previous cases where families remained on the streets without the same support.
Ruth Martín highlights the Chasna building case attracting media attention due to the substantial number of evicted individuals; however, she underscores that Arona municipality grapples with such scenarios consistently, averaging 10 to 12 evictions per month.
Uncontrollable Predicament in the Southern Region
The head of the Social Services division remains optimistic about reaching a resolution while also hoping that this unfortunate situation will raise awareness regarding the prevalent issues in the Canary Islands.
Ruth Martín expresses concerns about the dire living conditions, citing the existence of slums, caravan communities, and individuals residing in automobiles, caves, and makeshift shelters. The situation in the south of Tenerife, particularly in Arona, is deemed alarming by Martín.
According to his perspective, the current housing crisis originated from the Housing Law that was implemented in 2021. He explains that the law was designed to safeguard tenants facing financial difficulties resulting from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The legislation has instilled fear in property owners, leading many to withdraw their properties from the residential market and redirect them to the holiday rental market,” viewing the latter as a “more secure option.”
He further notes that the “limited” number of residential properties remaining in the market have witnessed significant price hikes and impose stringent conditions, such as “very high income, no children, and deposits equivalent to three or four months’ rent.” The councillor issues a stark warning, stating, “Even with stable employment, affording rent in the southern region of Tenerife is currently unattainable.”
Despite acknowledging the severity of the circumstances, neither the Arona City Council nor any council in Tenerife has officially declared the situation as a crisis.
In addition to this, residents of the Costa del Silencio complex have highlighted issues regarding registration difficulties. The councillor confirms this concern and assures that it will not impede them from seeking municipal emergency aid; simply registering with social services would suffice for such support.
Addressing this matter, he reveals that the Registry department of the Arona City Council recently suspended the registration process due to the “imminent” eviction of families residing in a building slated for demolition, wherein a total of 65 residents are currently registered.
“I remain hopeful that we can devise a solution for these families,” expresses Ruth Martín, while underscoring that priority will be given to the most vulnerable groups residing in the property.
Implementing “Unprecedented” Measures
Meanwhile, the opposition party in the City Council, PSOE, urged the council to adopt exceptional measures to prevent evictions. They suggested actions such as the expropriation or purchase of incomplete buildings, a strategy announced by the neighbouring municipality of Granadilla.
Former Arona mayor José Julián Mena has urged the current municipal governing coalition (consisting of the Popular Party, Canarian Coalition, and More for Arona) to reconsider their decision to abstain from declaring the municipality a crisis zone in the context of rental issues, given the “dire” circumstances prevailing in this sector.