Six months after the signing of a resettlement agreement for about 800 families living in the Muinho slum, in the central region of the capital, São Paulo, the journey of some of them to find alternative housing continues. The case reveals the difficulties faced by public authorities in implementing their plans.
In May of this year, in a virtuous example of partnership between political rivals, the government of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Workers’ Party) and the state government of Tarcisio de Freitas (Republicans) signed an agreement to support the purchase of real estate worth up to R$250,000 – R$180,000 from the union and R$70,000 from the state. While searching for new homes, families will receive assistance of R$1,200 per month.
According to São Paulo authorities, of the 832 families who joined the program (94.5% of the total), 692 families left the area, and more than 140 of them moved to permanent homes. However, there is still a big task ahead of us.
Muinho residents report difficulty finding alternatives to housing at the price specified in the agreement, frequent questions about the expected departure of employees of the Sao Paulo State Housing and Urban Development Corporation (CDHU), as well as reports of police brutality and harassment.
Families residing in the area held a protest on the 18th, at the University of São Paulo’s Faculty of Law, against what they described as renewed violence and demolitions as residents remained inside their homes. The São Paulo government denies these accusations.
Moreover, according to residents, the poor living conditions in the area, an old problem, still persist, with the accumulation of the rubble of about 250 demolished or partially dismantled houses, and the spread of rats, cockroaches and scorpions.
The Tarcísio administration complains about the absence of Caixa Econômica Federal teams around the community and the refusal to provide assistance to families that do not meet the income criteria of the Federal Minha Casa Minha Vida program or that have outstanding issues in the Unified National Register.
Lula’s government claims that Caixa analyzed the process of 797 families, of which 636 were classified as compliant, and that the remaining cases would be the responsibility of the CDHU.
But bureaucratic hurdles between state and federal agencies do not justify stonewalling. As an election year approaches, it is useful to demonstrate to the people that they can put the public interest above political disputes.
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