“If anyone reads these words and can assist us, I would be eternally grateful.” Susana received a court notification on January 29. On February 18 at 10 am, she is to vacate the property where she resides in Santa Cruz de Tenerife with her four minor children “without any extension or consideration.” A final notification this Friday confirmed the precise date of the eviction. In a state of desperation and lacking a support network in the Canary Islands, Susana decided to reach out to the media via email. “This is my last attempt to ask for help,” she confides in an interview.
For nearly 20 years, she endured domestic violence. Just over a year ago, she opted to break free from a tiresome relationship characterised by “fear and dependency.” She and her children still bear the scars, and despite their past, they find themselves without a stable place to stay. “In the end, they are all complicit in the abuse,” she states.
On Tuesday, representatives from the court and the property management arrived at the home to carry out the eviction. Initially, they granted her ten minutes to gather her belongings. The difficulty of packing up the lives of five individuals in such a brief timeframe led to a few additional hours being granted. The City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has offered Susana and her children, aged 17, 15, 8, and 5, the chance to stay in a local hostel for a few days. “I am fearful of having to turn back to my ex-partner. Ultimately, the system forces me to beg him for help once again. I feel like I am giving in to him all over again,” she weeps.
In 2019, Susana lodged a complaint against her ex-partner after he struck her on the head with a bottle of alcohol. Consequently, the judiciary enforced a restraining order against the abuser. “Even now, we are paying the price. My antidepressants, my eldest son’s neurological treatment, the nightmares experienced by my second child…” she shares. “I endured everything because I worked behind the scenes for my husband without receiving a penny,” she recalls.
When she made the decision to leave the relationship, she found herself “alone, with four minor children and only 300 euros that I could gather from their piggy banks.” “We sold possessions and items we no longer required. We sought out things to give to the recycling centre. That was another method he used to keep me bound to him. I didn’t have anything in my own name,” she recounts. “I have put up with 20 years of abuse, but I am not surprised that some people fall by the wayside,” she comments.
“We stepped forward gradually, day by day, but the peace we experienced at home made it all worthwhile,” she reminisces. In the initial months of her newfound freedom, she received support from various social organisations, the City Council, and even from her children’s school. “They ensured that we never went hungry. They also assisted me with paying utility bills,” she mentions. Over time, she managed to secure 480 euros. “It was the first money I had earned in many years,” she states.
However, the nightmare resurfaced as securing housing proved to be an impossibility. “The property we lived in was rented and not inexpensive at all—2,000 euros a month, at the very least. Until the trial against my husband, our company was covering the payments, of which he is the administrator,” she explains. In the last two years, she has been unable to meet the monthly obligations. Susana has attempted to find accommodations but insists that “there are no options” in the property market. “They demand two payslips, insurance, guarantees… I have no family nearby, my parents suffer from Alzheimer’s, and I receive an annual allowance of just 480 euros,” she stresses. Her only remaining option has been to apply for social housing, which has yet to materialise.
Until now, Susana and her children were sheltered under the support of…
Social protection measures introduced in 2020 to tackle the economic and social crisis stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic. This initiative enabled the suspension of evictions for families in vulnerable positions. “2025 has come, and they informed me at social services not to worry, as the Omnibus decree was in progress,” she states. Nevertheless, the PP and Junts dismissed this measure in Congress, which was aimed at extending protection for at-risk families against evictions.
The decree was sanctioned in a second attempt on February 12; however, it proved ineffective for Susana. The Municipal Corporation submitted a vulnerability assessment to the courts. Nevertheless, a subsequent judicial notification reviewed by this publication reiterated on February 14 that the court did not require ” a report on the family’s social circumstances ”, but mandated that the City Council furnish a housing alternative for her and her minor children prior to February 18, as it had concluded “ the obligation to vacate the premises. ”
“All I possess are my children and our belongings located in the house, including furniture, appliances, personal items, and food… not a vehicle to transport them, nor a location to relocate to,” explains Susana. Presently, the resident of Santa Cruz is anxious about her children’s wellbeing. One of them is preparing for the university entrance examination this year. “When they could finally start living without the constant fear of their father’s violence… when they could finally experience peaceful sleep despite their nightmares, now we face this,” she concludes.
