In Milan 300 evictions per month, increasingly “absolute” poor

Three hundred evictions per month in Milan. An alarming figure, made known by Alberto Sinigallia, president of the Progetto Arca Foundation, during the inauguration of the fourth solidarity market, opened in via Sammartini. “Absolute poverty in Italy is at its highest point in the last 10 years”, he said: “We are almost at 10% (of the inhabitants, ed.). Executive evictions are increasing dramatically. There are 33 thousand evictions per year in Italy, in Milan there are 300 per month. This means that, every day, 10 people remain homeless. And this is a serious problem for the future”.

According to Sinigallia, the majority of people who turn to Progetto Arca’s food aid points are Italian. “They are rooted in the territory, they have a mortgage or rent and they can’t get by, either because their salary has decreased, or because the cost of living has increased, or because they have lost their job due to Covid. There are many factors that mean income is less than expenditure.” The solution? “Welfare will not be able to sustain itself if we don’t get people out of poverty.”

Houses for 500 euros a month

And, for the welfare councilor of Milan, Lamberto Bertolé, “the challenge” on housing is “to have many beds for students and houses for families at sustainable prices, at 400 or 500 euros per month per family”. On evictions, the councilor explained that it is necessary first of all to give “an answer to the most fragile families and families”, and then study a “housing offer that allows sustainable rents”.