• Group wants anti-eviction, pro-housing commitment in government talks •
The nationwide anti-eviction activist Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca (Platform of Those Impacted by the Mortgage Crisis, or PAH) has called on new members of Congress elected Dec. 20th to include in negotiations toward forming the next government a commitment to emergency action to solve Spain’s ongoing housing crisis and guarantee the Constitutional right to housing for all Spaniards.
The PAH said the parties need to incorporate five essential points in resolving the housing crisis in any pact reached for the formation of a coalition government, including: the ability for homeowners to make retroactive mortgage payments; affordable rental housing; an immediate halt to evictions of families for non-payment of mortgages or rent; a sufficient inventory of public housing to help those families already evicted; and public assistance with payment of electric bills for those families in need.
The PAH said national political parties have so far ignored their calls for a firm stance to solve the crisis, while crediting measures to alleviate “energy poverty” among families in distress taken in cities like Barcelona, where the government of activist mayor Ada Colau has pressured utility companies to cease automatic shutoffs of electricity supply for non-payment.
► Read the Full Story in Spanish at El País …
