There are more than half a million people living in housing poverty. In other words, they do not have the minimum accommodation conditions. The Director General of Health warns that the problem affects quality of life and has direct impacts on health.
Houses with humidity, no windows, poor insulation, no electricity or sanitation and the presence of rats or cockroaches. This is what is called housing poverty and affects more than 625 thousand people in Portugal. It affects comfort, well-being and has direct impacts on health.
“It’s a problem because it has a direct impact on, for example, respiratory diseases. If we have houses that are prone to accidents, we may also experience trauma or a fall. If we live in places that don’t have the best conditions, we also live here in a place where emotional well-being is more insecure and we also have problems managing chronic disease”, says Rita Sá Machado, general director of health.
According to the accounts of the Just a Change association, which rehabilitates houses with voluntary work, in Lisbon alone there are around 30 thousand homes that present housing poverty. It is already considered a problem in the national 20-30 health plan, but more needs to be done
Housing poverty was highlighted at the conference, which brought together specialists and public and private entities this Tuesday morning in Lisbon to raise awareness.
