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Voski Balyan is 49 years old, is a cleaner and has spent the last 26 in Catalonia, where he came fleeing from the High Karabakh War, which faced his country, Armenia, with another neighboring former Soviet republic, Azerbaijan. «I arrived a year after the end of the armed conflict, in 1995. I was 23 years old and Felipe González ruled in Spain», explains the woman, to whom an investment fund has tried, unsuccessfully, to evict her from her apartment in the Nou Barris district (Barcelona) six times in two years. Six pitches such as six strokes, six episodes of resistance to shelter from the Platform of People Affected by the Mortgage (PAH). The economic crisis, unemployment, real estate greed and poor health were close to demolishing the Armenian tenant and leading her to eviction without alternative housing, but last month she regained hope by finally signing a social rent. «I am happy to be able to stay in my house».

The social rental of Voski, for seven years and with a payment of 160 euros per month, is the reward for two years of struggle and resistance against real estate violence by Ento SL, a real estate company dedicated to lease housing. "I owe it to the PAH in Barcelona," he says. «Without them, I would be in the street. They have supported me like nobody before. He would not have survived without his support. They are more than a family to me ». Law 24/2015, which puts a brake on the violation of fundamental rights, establishes that there must be adequate rents to the income of the families. It also affects that you do not speculate on a good of first necessity such as housing.

The woman and her two children arrived at the Nou Barris apartment in 2010, in exchange for 650 euros per month, when she worked at a cleaning company that broke down two years later. The head of the family was unemployed with two children to feed and entertain. «I had rented it with my payroll. I was doing overtime at the company to make ends meet. When in 2012 it sank, I survived with domestic chores, because I only worked and I have a disability because I suffer from degenerative osteoarthritis, ”he says. «I've been listed for 15 years, but it doesn't seem to work. In 2017, after being operated on by the knee, I needed a year of recovery and was unfairly fired from the house where I worked with a contract. I ran out of income, and my daughter had to leave the law degree to get to work and bring money home.

Voski had been in the same house for seven years while paying the rent when he called the owner to explain his economic problems. They denounced it a month later, and eviction notices soon arrived. «Four conventional and two open, without schedule or notification. Luckily, and thanks to the PAH, I'm still in my flat, ”the woman expresses, visibly excited.

Voski's problem is "a reflection of thousands of families throughout the State; housing is a right and should be treated as such, ”says Lucía Delgado, spokesman for the PAH in Barcelona, ​​who recalls that in 2015 they promoted a pioneering law throughout Europe in defense of the right to housing. «In 2019 we were able to recover a tool that the PP and the bank considered sentenced and now we start the year with new measures that protect thousands of families in Catalonia from evictions».

Questioned by the recent housing decree approved by the Generalitat, the PAH spokeswoman says they are very satisfied that they have achieved a new victory "very important" in the protection of the right to housing. «Laws cannot be written back to citizens. To end the emergency, it is necessary to listen to the people affected and the solutions they propose ”, celebrates Delgado, who qualifies, however, that not all the measures they proposed are included in the new regional regulations. "We will demand more than ever that all measures included in the decree to stop evictions and to mobilize thousands of social floors be applied with courage, forcefulness and integrity."

The PAH of L'Hospitalet takes for granted the new housing decree of the Government

Patricia Barahona, member of the Platform of People Affected by the Mortgage (PAH) City of L'Hospitalet, has obtained a social rent for the next seven years for 150 euros per month. The members of the PAH congratulate themselves on the opportunity obtained by Barahona, but remember that it is the administrations that should ensure the right to housing for all citizens.

"Reality is not like that, so in the PAH we remain at the bottom of the canyon after more than ten years," says a spokeswoman for the association. "There have been advances in cities like Barcelona, ​​which has created a special unit to deal with evictions that should be replicated in other municipalities, but it is not enough," he protests. "The economic and financial lobby is very strong, and its interests put pressure on many levels, also in administrations," he adds. «Therefore, we must provide ourselves with guarantee laws that protect citizens. Through peaceful civil disobedience and PAH proposals, we are managing to reverse this situation ”, ditch.

The trajectory of the PAH City of L'Hospitalet stands out for having managed to sign different social rental contracts after negotiating with the banks. Now, the association welcomes the approval of the new decree of housing of the Generalitat that obliges banks, investment funds and large owners to offer a social rent to families without resources before denouncing them for defaults.

The new housing decree establishes that those affected will have to provide a vulnerability report when their rental contract ends, which must be five years when the owner is an individual, and seven in the case of banking, financial entities and individuals who have more than 15 homes. “To guarantee the right to housing, ambitious laws, brave policies and budget must be made,” they indicate from the PAH. "Until all administrations do this, we will not be able to leave behind the scourge of evictions and the chronic housing emergency."

The Generalitat defends that its decree will allow to solve 80% of the cases of possible eviction for non-payment of the rent. The PAH of L'Hospitalet claims that the underlying problem remains the overly high price of housing and the risk of eviction that many families still suffer. In 2019, they managed to paralyze or postpone more than 100 evictions in the city.

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  • Barcelona
  • Catalonia
  • Felipe Gonzalez
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  • Evictions

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