The municipality of Vila Real de Santo António announced a “historic investment” in social housing, with a rehabilitation plan that will cover hundreds of homes and which will have visible effects in the first months of this year. The operation involves an unprecedented financial volume in the municipality and is financed by European funds.
At stake is the rehabilitation of 372 social housing distributed across several neighborhoods in the municipality, in a project that the municipality classifies as the largest ever in its housing stock and which comes in a context of strong pressure on housing in the Algarve.
Works are starting
According to the property buying and selling portal, Idealista, the rehabilitation work is now starting and will continue throughout the first half of the year, with completion scheduled for June, the deadline for implementing the funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
According to the same source, the total investment amounts to 50 million euros and is 100% financed by the PRR and the 1st Law Program, not implying direct charges for the municipal budget.
Deep interventions in homes
The planned works are not limited to superficial interventions. The website writes that the rehabilitation includes structural reinforcement of the buildings, improvements to the thermal and acoustic envelope and the complete renovation of essential infrastructures.
The same source adds that the water, electricity, telecommunications and sanitation networks will be replaced, as well as waterproofing and insulation on the roofs, allowing a minimum improvement of 10% in the thermal performance of the houses.
Families relocated during construction
To guarantee the well-being of residents during the intervention period, the municipality designed a specific logistical solution. According to the same source, mobile homes (mobile homes) as temporary accommodation in necessary situations.
These structures will allow households to remain close to their neighborhoods of origin, maintaining comfortable conditions while construction work takes place in the homes, says Idealista.
Distribution of investment across neighborhoods
The investment will be distributed among several social neighborhoods in the municipality. According to the same source, the Santo António neighborhood accounts for the largest share, with around 20.2 million euros allocated to 143 homes.
Other interventions include Bairro da Barquinha, with almost 9 million euros for 73 homes; and the neighborhoods of Caminhos de Ferro, Navegantes, Encalhe, Caixa de Previdência and Manta Rota, in addition to fires scattered throughout the municipality, in an effort that covers the entire municipal territory.
Long-term strategy
The mayor of Vila Real de Santo António frames this project within a broader strategy. According to , Álvaro Araújo states that this initiative represents the culmination of rigorous work to restore dignity and quality of life to families who have been waiting for solutions for decades.
The mayor adds that this investment constitutes a decisive step towards structurally resolving the municipality’s housing needs, in a process that combines European financing, technical planning and direct social impact.
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