Cascais' Local Housing Strategy foresees a total investment of 330 million euros by 2028, to put more than three thousand housing solutions on the market. The municipality is in the process of buying 79 houses and rehabilitating 73 buildings.
The Cascais City Council recently approved, at a meeting of the Executive, proposals for acquisition of a total of 79 dwellings and fractions of properties, scattered throughout the municipalitywhich will be made available to the population as affordable public housing. The launch of rehabilitation contracts for 73 social housing buildings.
For the Municipality, this is another step towards the realization of its Local Housing Strategywhich foresees a total investment of 330 million euros by 2028 to put more than three thousand housing solutions on the market. The Cascalense municipality wants to respond to families and young people with a plan for the acquisition, rehabilitation and construction of properties, as well as the purchase of land for public housing. "This is the biggest and most ambitious housing plan Cascais has ever seen, even considering the PER - Special Rehousing Plan, which began in 1993"Carlos Carreiras (PSD), the mayor, said in a note sent to the media.
"We have been carrying out consistent, strategic planning and very rigorous management with significant land acquisitions. We are therefore prepared to carry out this major reform in public housing with strong political will, the financial instruments and the technical capacity in the municipality to lead the way, setting Cascais as a benchmark in the country."adds the Social Democrat mayor.
A Cascais Local Housing Strategy has funding from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), through an agreement between the municipality and the Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IRHU), which translates into 162 million euros.
In addition to the acquisition and renovation of real estate, the agreement.., which can be found hereThe project also includes the construction of new houses and the purchase of land. It is hoped that, after 2028, Cascais will have more than 3,000 housing solutions in the four parishes of the municipality, which, added to the current 3,000 social housing units that are being rehabilitated, will double the municipal housing stock. It should be noted that this agreement with the IRHU, signed in 2022, is now in the final stages of being renegotiated as a result of an updated municipal strategy.
Despite being one of the municipalities in the country with the largest public housing stockCascais has given strategic priority to housing and is at the forefront of municipal housing policies at national level. Cascais' Local Housing Strategy is based on five pillars with the following financial allocations (to be implemented in the short to medium term):
Cascais has been diversifying and intensifying its housing access programs, seeking to meet the needs of young people, families, especially those who are more economically and socially vulnerable, but also the middle class, affected by rising housing costs, as well as people with disabilities and homeless people.
Cascais isn't the only municipality to invest in housing, on the back of PRR funds and the Local Housing Strategy. Right next door, the Sintra City Council also recently approved, at an Executive meeting, the acquisition of 36 homes to be part of its Local Housing Strategy - an investment of more than 6.9 million euros.
Following the market consultation, which ran until March 11, the municipality will purchase five one-bedroom houses, 24 two-bedroom houses and seven three-bedroom houseswith immediate living conditionsThese are intended to strengthen the municipality's housing stock. With these acquisitions, made under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), the Municipality aims to respond to housing shortages, guaranteeing access to housing for young people and families, promoting social and territorial inclusion.
In a statement, Mayor BasÃlio Horta (PS) stressed that "the municipality is very committed to this issue"reinforcing that "it is increasingly important and urgent that public entities invest in the housing sector". Sintra Câmara signed an agreement with IHRU for the Sintra Local Housing Strategy, which will benefit more than 3,000 families, more than 9,000 people, with an investment of around 179 million euros over six years.
