Guinean Aid Group in Portugal Says Requests for Help Nearly Doubled

The Associação Guineense de Solidariedade Social (a Guinea-Bissau community welfare association) used to see between 20 and 25 people a day. Its president, Ednilson Gilberto dos Santos, told the Lusa news agency that requests for help have now almost doubled, and he called the situation “catastrophic”.

His group is one of several Portuguese-speaking immigrant associations that described to Lusa how rising rents, food and energy bills are hitting newcomers in Portugal. Some families are turning to food donations and loans, and some are leaving Lisbon or the country altogether.

What it means for renters who just arrived

Housing is the biggest worry, according to Cyntia de Paula, vice president of the Casa do Brasil de Lisboa (a Brazilian community association). Prices are high, and landlords often ask migrants for several months of rent up front, large deposits and a fiador (a guarantor who signs for the tenant). People who have just arrived usually have no guarantor.

Carla Dourado, a lawyer in the financial protection office of Deco (Portugal’s consumer rights association), said rents are often far above the minimum wage. Some immigrants take out loans to cover everyday spending such as groceries and rent, which can lead to over-indebtedness. She told Lusa it is common to hear of people borrowing to pay a deposit worth six months of rent.

De Paula said these costs are pushing many Brazilians out of Lisbon and Porto toward cheaper cities such as Braga, Aveiro and Leiria.

Paperwork delays and lower-paid work

Dourado also pointed to slow recognition of foreign diplomas. Many immigrants hold qualifications for better-paid jobs but accept lower wages while they wait. Without valid documents or a residence permit, some take work with no contract and lower pay. She said this leaves those workers fully exposed.

De Paula said a growing number of highly qualified Brazilians cannot find work that matches their skills and look for opportunities in other countries. Some people stuck in legal limbo, unable to regularize their status, choose to go home, she said, though she has no figures on how many.

Different communities, different choices

According to Dourado, Brazilians in particular are starting to question whether to stay. African communities, who often send money to relatives at home, tend to put up with hard conditions to remain.

Dos Santos said people with regular papers find it easier to move on to France, Switzerland or Luxembourg for higher wages. Those still waiting for regularization tend to stay, and the situation in Guinea-Bissau also discourages return. His members also report health problems, and some say employers or insurers abandoned them after workplace accidents.

Ilidia Colina Veracruz, known as “Fatinha”, of the Associação Mén Non (which represents women from São Tomé and Príncipe), said needs have grown enormously while donations of food and clothing have fallen sharply. Some people stop coming to the association because of distance and transport costs.

Vitorina Gamelas of Angola Viva na Diáspora said integration, jobs and housing are the main obstacles for Angolans. Her group keeps a list of rooms and homes for rent and contacts landlords on behalf of applicants. Timóteo Macedo of Solidariedade Imigrante said more young people from São Tomé are arriving, mostly to study, and more Mozambicans are coming, which he connects partly to insecurity in parts of Mozambique.

Food parcels in Amadora

In Casal da Mira, in Amadora on Lisbon’s outskirts, the Unidinhos de Cabo Verde nursery hands out food parcels on Mondays to people whose wages and pensions no longer cover basic costs. The donations come from a supermarket collection on Sundays. Children aged 3 to 5 get an extra meal there, since many arrive without breakfast.

Cesaltina Gomes, a classroom assistant who has worked at the centre for almost 40 years, said younger people from the neighbourhood are leaving for France, Switzerland and Luxembourg to work in restaurants, cleaning and childcare. One pensioner who collects food there told Lusa her household of six lives on two pensions and pays 300 euros in rent. After water, electricity and rent at the end of the month, she said, nothing is left for the home.

Source: RTP Notícias