"I need a place to sleep": when precarious housing and a destroyed house meet

Dossier The Valencian anomaly 1 article

• "I need a place to sleep": when precarious housing and a destroyed house meet

Torrent / CatarrojaJuan Borja is 68 years old and lived with his wife and two children, aged 37 and 42, in the humble neighborhood of La Mancha in the Valencian city of Torrent. He had to leave his home on October 29, 2024, and has not been able to return since then because the building is located right at the point where the l'Horteta ravine and the Poio ravine meet—the flooding of which caused most of the deaths during the flood. It is one of the places where the scars of the catastrophe are even more visible. The dangerous location of the homes has prompted the city council to initiate demolition procedures for 45 houses, according to a count published this week by Amnesty International. The initiative, which is also taking place in other municipalities, has, however, encountered a very diverse reality, affecting homeowners who will have to be compensated if they are expropriated, while affecting other, more vulnerable people who, if they do not receive help from the government, will be unable to find shelter.

In the La Mancha neighborhood, three homes have already been demolished, and a dozen more are threatened. All are located on Murcia Street, which borders the l'Horteta ravine, and is home to more than thirty residents. One of them is Juan, who has been living in a house temporarily loaned by Manises City Council for a year. With the background noise of excavators working to consolidate the banks of the ravine, he explains to ARA that his property was not insured and that he does not have the resources to buy a new one. Even less so when, as he explains, the City Council is not considering compensating him because it does not recognize the document he uses to prove that a friend gave him the house. "They're telling me I'm a squatter, even though I've been living here for 37 years," he says angrily. "If they give me an alternative, I'll leave, but I must be holding the key, because I need a place to sleep," he insists. His discontent is compounded by the €6,000 expense spent in recent months to repair the house. "First, the municipal architect told me they would demolish it, then, when we complained, they agreed to let it remain, and now, once again, they want to demolish it," he summarizes angrily.

The one whose home has already been demolished is Pepa, the mother of a 34-year-old man with six children, also named Juan. Her 56-year-old mother has been relocated for a few weeks in a house run by an NGO. Juan complains that he still doesn't know if his mother will receive compensation. He emphasizes that the council says it has had enough, assuming the costs of the demolition. "We must understand that these are very vulnerable families. People who need help to carry out any procedure and who the administration must accompany and assist," summarizes María Jiménez, a volunteer with the Local Emergency and Reconstruction Committee of the neighboring town of Aldaia, who accompanied the ARA on the visit to the neighborhood. Amnesty International shares this analysis, accusing the city council of violating the right to housing "because it does not guarantee clear and accessible information about the date of the demolitions, the use of the land, and the potential receipt of compensation for its loss." The document also warns that, according to the Valencian Government, 15,969 homes were damaged. In fact, the Insurance Compensation Consortium reported having received 76,481 files corresponding to homes and neighborhood associations damaged by the floods as of September 18. This situation is compounded by the extremely limited public housing stock: Paiporta, with 25,309 inhabitants, has 8; Torrent, with 89,456 residents, has 65; and Aldaia, with 34,035 residents, has 22.

Somewhat more optimistic is the case of José Cerdán, a 53-year-old resident of Catarroja who lived with his partner and son in a house located 100 meters from the Poio ravine. The water damaged the foundations of his house and those of four other families, forcing them to abandon their homes four days after the floods and necessitating the demolition of the properties. Since then, they have been living in apartments they have rented with the aid they receive from the Generalitat (Catalan government). They are now waiting to renew their contract, as it expires on November 30th. "We still don't know anything, and it's a pain not knowing anything with so few days left," he complains on ARA while showing us the site where the house stood. He is also concerned about the possibility that the Catarroja City Council will claim the cost of the demolition, which the council initially assumed. To cover the expense, they requested aid from the Valencian government six months ago, but, again, have yet to receive a response. As for the reconstruction of the buildings, and thanks to insurance claims, they already have 90% of the budget for the work, which they haven't even started yet, but which they hope to complete within three years. While they wait and suffer from the government's delays, they try to escape so much uncertainty with the solidarity they receive through social media. the Birdana association, which they have promoted. Cerdán reiterates that what he needs is his home. "We had to demolish a house we've lived in for 15 years. It's very hard, and we need to get back to normal," he concludes.

Dossier The Valencian anomaly 1 article

• "I need a place to sleep": when precarious housing and a destroyed house meet