On May 31, the government spokesperson minister, Camila Vallejowrote an opinion column in El Mercurio under the title “Let’s talk about management”, in which he highlighted the works of the President’s government Gabriel Boric in his almost 27 months at La Moneda. But six days after the publication of that text, a report from the Regional Secretariat of the Ministry of Housing of La Araucanía, to which he had access The bookcaserealizes precisely the opposite: slow management in the housing reconstruction process that were devastated in the region by the forest fires of the summer of 2023, failing to fulfill the promise of the President and the authorities, who committed to rapid reconstruction.
According to the Minvu document, titled “Summary of progress in the reconstruction process of definitive homes forest fires February 2023”, dated June 5 of this year, we had to work on the solution of 115 homes. To the date Only 21 of these permanent homes have been deliveredmainly in the commune of Lumaco (see table).
Damaged without housing: “They promised us and they forgot us”
The slowness in the reconstruction process has been criticized by mayors and parliamentarians, but today it is the same affected families who say they have “lost hope”, since they are living a second winter in the rain in emergency housing or housing for relatives.
One of the affected people, who lives in the rural sector of Lumaco, points out The bookcase that “they forgot usThey promised us and they forgot us. We have received help from the municipality but we are still waiting for our little house. We lost everything and it has been more than a year that we are here living with relatives.”
Furthermore, he adds that “I no longer believe anything. We are looking for a way to have our house but it has been difficult because without money we cannot build”.
Governor Rivas: “The only ones harmed are families who are waiting for President Boric’s compliance”
Criticism of the management of Minvu increases when the work they have done is contrasted with the management of the Regional Government of La Araucanía. This is because Gore has already delivered all of the committed homes to the affected families of Vilcún and Purén.
When asked about this issue, the governor Luciano Rivas points out that “the measures taken by the government have been slow and we are very concerned. It is unfortunate that more than a year after the tragedy of the 2023 forest fires, There are still families without their permanent homes because today we are experiencing complex days with the storms that are hitting the central-southern area of our country and where we see people who still do not have a roof over their heads.”
Regarding the reconstruction of homes carried out by the Regional Government, Rivas points out that “with alliances between the public and private world, we managed to fulfill the promise of delivering decent and fully equipped homes to families in the urban sectors of Purén and Vilcún (…) . The only ones harmed are families from our region who are waiting for the fulfillment of a commitment made by President Gabriel Boric himself.”.
There are no homes or Seremi owners
It was March 13, 2023, 40 days after the tragedywhen the Minister of Housing, Carlos Montes, came to Galvarino to inaugurate the first permanent home that was being delivered to a family from the commune. On that occasion, Montes highlighted in his speech that “President Gabriel Boric said that We would not leave them alone and we are at it, working at full speed on the reconstruction of housing for the areas affected by the forest fires.”
As the months passed, the slowness of the reconstruction process. That was when the former Seremi of Housing, Ximena Sepulvedahad to come out to give explanations and assure that in September 2023 the first 60 houses would be delivered, which has not happened until today. In fact, as of December they had only delivered three homes (see note).
According to the Minvu document, at this time there are 50 homes under construction, 16 in the project and 15 in Serviu evaluation, however, there is no definitive date for the delivery of keys to the families who are waiting for their home since February 2023.
Added to this is that to date There is no Seremi holder in La Araucaníaafter Sepúlveda left office on April 6 of this year amid complaints of workplace harassment against you.
Parliamentarians will ask for explanations for the lack of housing: “We cannot accept such a big mockery”
After the slowness of the reconstruction process and the data provided by the ministry, the deputy Miguel Mellado (RN) informed the portfolio to ask for explanations for the delay in the delivery of homes.
The deputy for La Araucanía explains that “it is a shame that to date the homes that the families are waiting for have not yet been delivered. It’s laughing in their faces, who suffered from the forest fires and now have to face the harsh winter that is currently hitting the south of Chile and where Malleco is suffering from the storms that harm families in the rural sector, the same ones who are waiting for their homes and who many of They are in the emergency ones provided by the government. I officiated at the ministry to respond because we cannot accept a mockery as big as the one they are making”.
For her part, the senator Carmen Gloria Aravena (Republican Party) criticizes that “families will soon spend a year and a half waiting for the government to one day do its job and build their permanent homes. A series of reasons can be argued, but the truth is that it is not the first catastrophe that the country has experienced. The difference is that this time the government has demonstrated an ineptitude and inefficiency that we were not aware of, giving a new demonstration of indolence and that they are incapable of providing solutions to those who need it most, and again in the Region of La Araucanía, in one of the poorest areas of the country”.
The parliamentarian also calls on the regional presidential delegate, Jose Montalvato “put a stop to the electoral campaign that is being carried out with state resources, and prioritize those who have been waiting for more than a year for it to do its job.”
