Tenerife has launched its first affordable rental housing plan. The insular program, Activa Vivienda, with a budget of five million euros, aims to facilitate the acquisition of land by municipalities– each with a maximum of one million euros– predominantly from finished or unfinished developments. The objective is to alleviate one of the main issues for the residents of Tenerife: the shortage of social housing for individuals with low incomes. The allocation can be extended by an additional five million euros, as per requirements. This was explained on Wednesday, after the Government Council of the Cabildo approved the measure, by the president of the Insular Corporation, Rosa Dávila, and the fifth vice-president, Águeda Fumero. The vice-president of the institution, Lope Afonso, who was absent on Wednesday, announced that “the Cabildo will lead the search for solutions to the housing problem in Tenerife” through these types of initiatives.
The Municipal Cooperation and Housing department – particularly valued the role of the councillor, Sonia Hernández – presents the idea, a result of a previous agreement with the Canary Islands Housing Institute (Icavi) to financially collaborate with the municipalities of Tenerife in the acquisition of houses or plots of land to expand the housing stock for social rent. This will facilitate access to affordable rentals. Lope Afonso reaffirmed the commitment for the Cabildo “to lead the search for solutions to the problem.” Afonso emphasised that “although the Cabildo has limited competences in this area, we are fully aware that this is one of the most worrying issues for the residents of Tenerife, considering the scarcity of available options, which has led to difficulties in accessing a home.”
Lope Afonso. / Andrés Gutiérrez
Lease Offer
This programme is aligned with the Housing Plan of Canary Islands. It shares the objective of promoting leasing through the construction of new properties or purchases in the private market, both from developers and financial institutions, to expand tenancy in this increasingly sought-after regime by Canary Island society. The aim is to “ensure accessibility to housing through social renting,” explains Afonso, who further explains that “we have coordinated with all 31 municipalities of the Island to convey their specific needs and address their demands effectively.”
Response to Demand
Rosa Dávila, on her part, states that “with this measure, we seek to respond to one of the main demands of the citizens.” In that regard, she also acknowledges the work done by Sonia Hernández. In addition, Águeda Fumero stated that “we want to lead the search for solutions to the issue of access to housing.” Therefore, she adds, “we will subsidise the municipalities of Tenerife, with a maximum of one million euros for each, for the acquisition of completed or under-construction homes, intended for social renting. Also, land, though to a lesser extent. The management of these rentals will be carried out through the Canary Islands Housing Institute (Icavi) or, in specific cases, by the municipalities themselves who, on the other hand, have the possibility to finance part of the operation. The initiative includes the obligation to allocate the acquired homes to the rental system for a minimum period of 15 years. The programme can be executed until December 31, 2025.
Credit Modification
The president, Rosa Dávila, announced a credit modification for a total amount of 3.6 million euros to address the remaining agreements taken yesterday by the insular government body, which range from the Natural Environment area to the Primary Sector, passing through Mobility, Sports, Tourism, Employment and Social Action.
Anaga Forest
The Government Council approved, within the Natural Environment area, an investment of 1.7 million euros for the conservation and restoration of the thermophilic forest in the Biosphere Reserve of the Anaga Massif. The project will be executed by the company Gesplan and has a period of 22 months. The goal is the conservation, restoration, and expansion of this ecologically valuable forest and to halt its degradation, which has been evident in recent times.
Tourist Offices
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The Tourism area has approved the modification of the Tourist Information Offices Renewal program included in the Infoten Network. Based on this, the Cabildo and the City Councils are committed to collaborating to rehabilitate the information offices of the Island, which are “often the first impression of our visitors,” explains Fumero. The budget of the program, referring solely to the works to be executed for the adaptation of the infrastructures, amounts to 2,093,000 euros, of which 300,000 euros are allocated to the current year.
Enhancements in Agrocabildo
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In the Primary Sector area, the bidding of the Agrocabildo service was approved for an amount of around 127,000 euros. The project involves the provision of new specialized offers that favor the advancement and progress of the agricultural sector, providing relevant information on agricultural technical advice, entrepreneurship, innovation, training courses, qualification days, events of interest, and subsidies.
Employment Projects
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A budget of 341,657 euros was also approved to attend to the non-subsidizable part of the New Employment Opportunities (NEO) project at the Institute of Social and Health Care (IASS). This project aims to improve the employability of unemployed people, who have the chance to gain professional experience and acquire more knowledge for their insertion into the job market. Over thirteen months, they will receive practical training at the Institute to compensate for the deficiencies in the psychology or social work staff. The Canarian Employment Service (SCE) underwrites 1,097,000 euros of the total cost with 765,000 euros.
Another million for Heliodoro
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The Government Council approved a budget of one million euros for the reform and improvement of the dressing rooms of the Heliodoro Rodríguez López Stadium and 300,000 euros allocated to the improvement of the metal cladding of the Red Tower of the Santiago Martín Pavilion where various Cabildo services are located. In the first case, it is a direct grant to CD Tenerife to carry out the works. Also, within the Sports area, a contribution of 109,722 euros was approved for improvements to the lucha arena of El Calvario, Santiago Canino Pérez, in the municipality of El Sauzal. The northern municipality covers the rest of the expenses until reaching the total budget of 137,000 euros.
Vulcanology Centre
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The President of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, questioned on Wednesday after the Government Council, guarantees that she is going to “defend” the Island’s bid to host the National Vulcanology Centre – with La Palma as the main antagonist. In line with the unanimous and institutional plenary agreement of the Corporation from December of last year, the “non-compliance” of which was denounced a few days ago by the spokesman of the Socialist Group and former president, Pedro Martín. Dávila rules out “encouraging the debate between islands”. She considers that “opening this discussion is not fruitful” because “the first thing is to get the centre to be located in the Canary Islands”. She highlights the Canarian Volcanological Institute (Involcan), of the Cabildo, as a “reference” in the world.
