The Cieza PAH dissolves as the housing crisis grows

Several months ago, we agreed to dissolve the Cieza Platform for People Affected by Mortgages (PAH Cieza), as the circumstances that led to its formation have changed. Furthermore, most of those affected have abandoned their homes, at best, with a payment in kind that took many years to obtain.

On the other hand, this problem has not existed for years now because financial institutions no longer so freely grant those abusive mortgage loans that led so many families to ruin.

But the problem of access to housing has grown exponentially, as housing prices have skyrocketed in most of Spain, leaving the majority of the population, especially young people, out of the market.

Adding to the shortage of public housing is the fact that large landlords, investment funds, and shady capital are taking over a large number of homes, many of them social and subsidized, expanding this lucrative speculative business.

Now, all political groups are talking about the housing problem and making proposals, as if this situation were new. Some propose liberalizing land to build more homes, ignoring the nearly four million that, according to the 2021 INE, already exist and remain empty (more than 1,500 in Cieza) due to exorbitant prices set by the real estate market.

We believe that expanding the housing stock will not make it accessible to the vast majority of the population.

Moreover, in our town, this problem has worsened particularly in the last two decades, as the suspension of the General Plan approved in 2008 led, among other consequences, to the halting of construction.

Since then, housing prices in Cieza, both for sale and rent, have experienced an irrational increase.

Finally, it is necessary to remember the Administration's obligation to guarantee the constitutional right to decent housing.

In our view, among other measures, we need to promote affordable rentals.

In Cieza, fortunately, we have public urban land to address this situation, such as the Ermita land, which cost the public almost five million euros.

The neglect of various municipal governments has multiplied tenfold the expropriation value of these lands, which some now want to give away to private enterprise.

From the Cieza Housing Platform, we want to denounce this situation and demand that our City Council take urgent measures to address this need and citizen demand, offering our collaboration as we have always done through the PAH.