Santa Cruz Lands €41.7M Deal for 263 Social Rent Homes

Santa Cruz de Tenerife has reached a major agreement today to boost its public housing plan. The Santa Cruz City Council, the Island Council (Cabildo), and the Canary Islands Government have officially joined forces. This partnership will lead to the construction of 263 new affordable homes, all of which will be available for social rent. This project involves a public investment of 41.7 million euros, aiming to increase the number of affordable homes in the city.

This agreement is vital for two important housing projects: 37 homes in María Jiménez and 226 in Cuevas Blancas. It secures the necessary funding, providing the final 25 million euros to complete these developments.

The Santa Cruz City Council is providing the land and will cover the costs of preparing the sites. The money for the construction work comes from all three administrations working together. Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez noted that this funding is in addition to other ongoing projects, like improving the energy efficiency of 800 homes and renovating 1,568 others. This brings the total spending on public housing in Santa Cruz to 115 million euros.

Fernando Clavijo, the regional president, highlighted that this plan guarantees the homes will always remain publicly owned. The agreement states that the government will directly manage these properties, and they will only be available for social rent. The main goal is to ensure that rent payments do not take up more than 30% of a family's income, helping to ease financial pressure on households.

Pablo Rodríguez, the counselor for public works and housing, confirmed that this agreement secures the long-term funding needed for the Cuevas Blancas projects to continue without delays. Although the Cabildo President, Rosa Dávila, doesn't directly oversee housing, she stressed the importance of the island's contribution to making decent housing more accessible in Tenerife. Similarly, Belén Mesa, Santa Cruz's housing councilor, repeated that working together is essential to meet the housing needs of residents.

The regional government currently oversees more than a thousand public homes in Tenerife at different stages of development, with 700 under construction and 300 in the planning phase. This new agreement is part of a wider effort to tackle the urgent housing crisis across the Canary Islands.