Alberto Lejarraga
A VULNERABLE family with two small kids has been evicted from the flat they lived in Alicante.
They could not afford rent as the mother lost her job while she was pregnant and the father is unfit to work as he is on the waiting list for an ankle surgery.
Around 30 people protested in front of the Valencian Generalitat Housing Department to ask for a solution for this local family.
The regional governing body reportedly responded that ‘there is no social housing available’, admitting there are free houses but that ‘they need repairs’.
The affected couple then offered to take care of any repairs needed if they were given a flat, but they were told that was not a possibility.
Locals have denounced over the years there are at least half a dozen of empty public properties in Alicante’s northern area.
Residents complain that these apartments are unfit to live in, but the authorities are not doing anything to make them inhabitable.
The family exposed their precarious situation to Alicante’s Town Hall, which only offers to pay for one night in a hostel and the possibility to live in the council shelter temporarily.
A local neighbour is said to have contacted the family after reading the story on the Spanish media and told them he would pay for the deposit and first three months of rent if they found a new flat to live in.
The family thanked the good samaritan but told him they could not accept the generous gesture, as they would still not be able to face rent payments after that period.
They are still dealing with the local authorities, hoping their dramatic situation can be resolved in the end.
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