On Tenerife, 18 people received social housing after a two-year wait.
In Villa de Los Silos, 18 large families, victims of domestic violence, and those who have lost their homes have received the keys to social housing with rents up to 200 euros, and the city authorities plan to expand the social housing program.
In the town of Villa de Los Silos, new social housing has been provided to large families, people who have suffered from domestic violence and are raising children, as well as those who have lost their homes. In total, 18 people received the keys to the apartments.
Local authorities began addressing this issue back in 2023 when they developed regulations for the provision of social housing. These were finally approved on September 30, 2024. The town has 15 apartments owned by the community. Eight of them were already occupied, and now the rest have been prepared for occupancy.
In particular, seven apartments were transferred under social rental conditions. Five of them are located in the Fatima area, and two are in Tierra del Trigo. It was planned that people would receive them in the first half of 2024, but the issuance was postponed. The town received these apartments about 20 years ago in exchange for land with the Government of the Canary Islands.
The rent for these apartments does not exceed 200 euros per month. According to the rules, it should not be more than 25% of the tenants' monthly income. The lease agreement is concluded for 5 years with the possibility of extension. Every three years, the terms of the agreement are reviewed to assess the financial situation of the residents.
The review of the lease terms allows people whose financial situation has improved to find other housing. The main goal of this social housing is to help those who need it most. There were 39 applications for these apartments. In general, the town maintains a permanent register of people in need of social housing.
The apartments that were recently handed over have been completely renovated and equipped with everything necessary. The renovation of the apartments in the Fatima area was financed by the Government of the Canary Islands, allocating over 110,000 euros. This money was frozen at the beginning of 2023. Each apartment has two rooms and a fully equipped kitchen. The apartments in Tierra del Trigo are larger and have three rooms.
"Housing is a right," said the mayor of Los Silos, Carmen Luz Baso Lorenzo. She also added that the town authorities started by developing rules that regulate the distribution of social housing. According to her, these rules simplified the process and helped establish clear terms of the agreement.
The town authorities plan to increase the amount of social housing. Two more buildings are currently under construction in the San Bernardo area. On the site of an old building that was demolished in 2024, thanks to funding from Cabildo de Tenerife, two new ones will appear. Construction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2026, and the apartments will be handed over to two more families. Thus, the town will have 17 social housing units.
In addition, the town council purchased a plot of land next to the building under construction to transfer it to the Canary Housing Institute (ICAVI) for the construction of another building. The plot of 590 square meters was purchased for over 138,000 euros, which was allocated by Cabildo de Tenerife. It is planned that a building with 15 apartments for social rental will be built on this site. Construction is scheduled to begin by the end of 2025. According to the mayor of Los Silos, their town was one of the first in Tenerife to purchase land under this program.