Márcia Leandro moved from Brazil to Portugal six months ago with one goal: to graduate as a chef. However, Portugal’s housing crisis derailed her dreams and forced her to live in a tent.
Márcia, who is 43 years old, and Andreia Costa, her neighbor in an improvised camp on a vacant lot on the outskirts of Lisbon, marched alongside thousands of Portuguese people this Saturday (30) in a protest against rising rents and property prices. houses.
The values are fueled by growing gentrification (the process of transforming urban areas that leads to an increase in the cost of living) and record tourism.
Portugal is one of the poorest countries in Western Europe, with an average monthly salary of around 1,200 euros (R$6,400).
A 65% increase in property rents in Lisbon since the start of the tourism boom in 2015 has made apartments unaffordable for many people. Sales prices soared 137% in this period, according to housing data experts Confidencial Imobiliário.
Immigrants and other precarious workers are particularly vulnerable. Brazilians, who represent 40% of Portugal’s immigrant community, earn on average 20% less than the Portuguese, according to the Migration Observatory. Many receive less than the official monthly minimum wage of 760 euros (R$4,058).
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Source: CNN Brasil
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