Mariana Mortagua with university students argues that housing is not luck, but the right decision

To tell university students that having housing is not a privilege but a right, Mariana Mortagua visited the residences of the Faculty of Arts of Porto this Thursday with a blocist commitment to reduce housing prices.

On a rainy day in the undefeated city, the bustling bar of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto (FLUP) became the meeting point for the BE caravan of students.

Mariana Mortagua entered the bar and the space full of students became a little more chaotic thanks to the group of journalists following the campaign, but above all because of the people who wanted to greet the BE leader and take the usual selfies of this campaign.

The group walked through the corridors of FLUP and outside into the university’s residence halls, where they had an informal conversation with students who wanted to share their difficulties and concerns when it comes to finding housing when applying to higher education.

Soraya initially described the shock she felt because, once she was in college, she didn’t know if she would be able to stay put because “she didn’t have a home and she didn’t have any economic conditions.”

Following closely behind was Adriana, who is studying architecture, and shared the pressure of being awarded a sort of “extra scholarship” for her academic merit.

“And there was a very awkward and very humiliating situation with a social worker who directly asked me: “If you have so many economic difficulties, why are you studying?” she said, admitting that the episode hurt and humiliated her. .

Other testimonies followed, and after listening carefully to them, Mariana Mortagua, in statements to journalists, said that it was necessary to “look all these young people in the eyes and tell them that it is worth going to university” and that “having a residence and having a home is not a privilege, it’s everyone’s right.”

These young people “who are struggling with the housing problem” have, according to the leader of the block, “something in common when they talk about their experiences”:

“Everyone thinks they’re lucky to have a place to rent, even if it has no kitchen, no amenities, no running water at certain times of the day,” he complained.

For the BE leader, this is a reflection of the reality in Portugal, “where access to housing while studying has become a huge challenge and a blessing in disguise when it happens,” which is a factor in “the impoverishment of many families and what keeps many young people away from university.”

“And that puts a burden and an anxiety that people aged 18-17 should not have when they go to university, which is the fear of not knowing if they will be able to get into the university they have chosen because they don’t know if they will be able to they get into the university they have chosen because they don’t know if they can get into the university they have chosen. they can afford housing,” he noted.

According to Mortagua, “this is a fear that should not be felt in Portugal 50 years after April 25.”

Taking a moment to reaffirm BE’s commitment to lower house prices, the BE leader criticized the priority given to tourism in major cities.

“The University of Porto has sold assets that could become student accommodation for the construction of luxury hotels. We see this happening in all cities, it is very important that all government assets are mobilized for the construction of hostels,” he said.

Mortagua also took the opportunity to reiterate proposals for a rent cap, a ban on the sale of homes to non-resident foreigners and measures that put homes on the housing market rather than “for rampant local occupancy.”