The Public Works, Housing, and Mobility Minister, Pablo Rodríguez, announced on Tuesday the implementation of the Prohogar programme as a housing solution for the 90 families evicted from the Chasna building in Arona last week.
Rodríguez, in response to queries from socialist deputy Patricia Hernández, revealed that the regional Executive has extended this programme to the Arona City Council and other municipalities facing similar eviction situations, acknowledging the ongoing housing crisis in the archipelago and emphasising the “housing emergency.”
On Tuesday, March 12, 90 families were evicted from two buildings (numbers 8 and 10 on Chasna Street) in the Costa del Silencio area near La Montaña Amarilla and the border with San Miguel de Abona. These buildings, constructed 50 years ago yet left unfinished and unutilised, were occupied by these families due to lack of alternatives.
Apart from losing their homes, the tragedy for these families, including pregnant women, newborns, and elderly dependents, was the absence of alternative accommodation solutions provided by the City Council and the Cabildo.
Rodríguez stressed that families seeking help through this programme must have their vulnerable status recognised, highlighting that those in the Chasna building had resided there since 2021 under the mayoral term of socialist José Julián Mena, who permitted them to live in substandard conditions.
Declaring, “We will not offer substandard housing as a solution,” the minister accused socialist deputy Patricia Hernández of using this case for political posturing and urged immediate action as some evicted individuals are now homeless.
Patricia Hernández echoed the minister’s sentiments that the recently declared “housing emergency” by the Canary Islands Government is a critical issue requiring urgent short-term solutions for those affected.
