There will be tailor-made solutions for each of the 32 families who saw the house where they lived partially or totally destroyed by fire, in Monchique. The minister of the Environment visited the county this Monday, August 20th, and guaranteed that the effort of reimbursement that will be asked of those injured by the fire will be evaluated "case by case".
João Matos Fernandes met yesterday with the mayor of Monchique, to talk about the damage caused to housing by the fire that raged for a week in this municipality.
At the end of the meeting, which was also attended by Deputy Minister Pedro Siza Vieira and the Secretaries of State for the Environment and Housing, Carlos Martins and Ana Pinho, respectively, João Matos Fernandes revealed that, so far, «damages in 32 homes have been identified. , of which 12 correspond to total losses'. In these houses, "there lived a total of 41 people, who are currently homeless."
"From the experience we have, namely from surveys that were made from comparable situations, which took place last year, this may represent a need for investment that will not exceed 2 million euros," he added.
The money for the reconstruction will come from the Porta de Entrada program of the Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IRHU), "which did not exist last year".
«The Door of Entry foresees, from the outset, supporting people who need a house today. This is the work that we are doing with Monchique City Council», explained the member of the Government.
Despite this solution has already been heavily criticized by the opposition, namely the p. namemember of the PSD elected by Algarve Cristóvão Nortand, taking into account that, after Pedrógão Grande, the cost of reconstruction was fully assumed by the State, the Minister of Environment says that, this year, there are conditions for the process to be fairer.
“This year, we are in a much more favorable position to be able to provide these supports. Last year, there was no pre-established rule, this year there is already, and we will be able to support those who need it, much faster and with more justice», he defended.
And what are you talking about? “What we are talking about here is not making up for losses. We are looking for housing solutions for those who need them and, at the moment, don't have them», he stressed.
In this way, the Government will support not only those who are owners and residents, but also those who rented the houses that burned down. In other words, the support “will be given to the victims themselves” and not to the owners themselves, when they were not the ones who lived in the burned houses.
“All people will be supported at one hundred percent, with one part being non-repayable and the other not. If the loan - subsidized, made by the IHRU itself - is for a period of 15 years, may go up to such 25 percent [of monthly disposable income]. But the loans can be for 30 years, that is, what is at stake is 12,5% of household income».
João Matos Fernandes noted, even so, that «the Gateway itself says that exceptions can be made», which will be applied «in the case of families with lower incomes», who «will not pay anything».
Although there is still no guidance on the amount of income below which the support is total, the Environment Minister assures that whoever receives "the minimum pension or the Social Insertion Income will not have to pay" and that, in these cases, " all funding will be non-repayable”.
But, he stressed, everything will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. “There may, for example, be families that have an income above these values, but that have a fixed burden, like a family member who is in a home. All cases will be assessed independently and the IHRU is free to make these decisions.”
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