Migrants struggle to cope with Portugal’s “suffocating” housing crisis
Lisbon, Portugal Reuters Seeking a more comfortable life, 50-year-old carpenter Andreia Costa moved to Portugal from Brazil in 2022, but within months her hopes were dashed, as the country’s housing crisis left her unable to afford accommodation and forced to live in a tent. On a site on the outskirts of Lisbon she was joined […]
Morocco’s mud brick housing makes hunt for earthquake survivors harder
Amizmiz, Morocco Reuters Rescuers digging through the rubble after Morocco’s deadly earthquake warned on Monday that the traditional mud brick, stone and rough wood housing ubiquitous in the High Atlas mountains reduced the chances of finding survivors. “It’s difficult to pull people out alive because most of the walls and ceilings turned to earthen rubble […]
Postcards: Some Mumbai residents risk safety for affordable, central housing
FRANCIS MASCARENHAS, of Reuters, reports from India…
Homelessness rates in England hit five-year high
London, UK Reuters The number of families and individuals facing homelessness in England is at its highest since 2018, data showed on Tuesday, sparking calls for the government to reform renting laws faster and build more affordable housing. Britain is in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, with high rates of inflation leaving people struggling […]
Before election, UK’s Sunak commits to one million new homes promise
London, UK Reuters British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will commit to a promise to build one million homes by the next national election, tackling a lack of housing stock that has alienated some younger voters who are often forced to pay high rents and are unable to buy. Before an election expected next year, Sunak’s […]
Postcards: For Hong Kong’s youth, government-backed hostels offer a smidgen of housing hope
CLARE JIM, of Reuters, reports from Hong Kong…
Urban poverty: World’s slum populations set to surge as housing crisis bites
The UN says three billion people will live in slums by 2050 unless the world tackles poverty and inequality. NITA BHALLA, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports…
Wow!: In North Carolina, a church network turns unused church buildings into homes for refugees
YONAT SHIMRON, of Religion News Service, reports on how a glut of under-utilised church properties offers a solution to the severe shortage of affordable housing for newly arrived refugees…
Spain to help young citizens fly the nest with foreclosed homes
Madrid, Spain Reuters Spain is aiming to help millions of young adults still living with their parents to rent their own homes by offering them properties abandoned when its housing market collapsed a decade ago. The rising cost of rent is set to become a key campaign issue as Spain gears up for regional ballots […]
Safe housing?: After earthquake, Istanbul gripped by fear that bigger disaster awaits
BIRSEN ALTAYLI and CAN SEZER, of Reuters, report on growing concerns over the safety of housing in Turkey’s biggest city…