“RRP investment in housing is reaching Azorean families,” says Maria João Carreiro - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Juventude, Habitação e Emprego

The Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment praised on Thursday the ongoing implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRp) in the Azorean housing sector. She noted that this year alone, the PSD/CDS-PP/PPM coalition Regional Government launched a public tender to create 231 new housing solutions, including apartments and serviced plots.

“While many doubted the ability to implement the RRP in the housing sector, the Azorean Government was working to speed up investments, launch tenders, start construction work and create housing solutions for young people and families. We have said that 2026 would be the year when this historic investment in housing would be most visible, and the truth is that these solutions are beginning to be completed and are already reaching the Azorean people,” stated Maria João Carreiro.

At the delivery ceremony for five new houses in the parish of Ginetes in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel Island, the government official also pointed out that €65 million is being invested through the RRP in more than 760 housing projects carried out by the Regional Government.

The three-bedroom houses delivered in Ginetes, representing an investment of over €940,000, were allocated through a public tender on a lease with purchase option scheme,  a solution regulated by the Regional Government in 2025 to ensure that Azorean households benefit from investment in housing at prices compatible with their income.  

“The Regional Government has made a clear choice: turning a demanding challenge into a tangible opportunity to improve the living conditions of the Azorean people, at a time when the financial burden on families seeking housing is increasing,” stated the Regional Secretary.

Among the procedures launched this year are public tenders for the allocation of 52 new apartments in the Trás-os-Mosteiros housing development and 12 new apartments in the São Pedro Neighbourhood, in the parish of Maia, both in the municipality of Ribeira Grande on the island of São Miguel.

A public tender for the allocation of 23 new apartments in the Foros do Sol Mar housing development in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo, São Miguel Island, was also launched this year.

The public tender for the allocation of 144 serviced plots for housing construction – 114 on the island of São Miguel, 14 on the island of Flores, 10 on the island of São Jorge and six on the island of Santa Maria is running until April 10. This is happening "on an unprecedented scale in the Region and is clear evidence that the supply of housing solutions is being strengthened in the Azores," she emphasised.

Last February, Maria João Carreiro launched the works for servicing 36 plots in the Nossa Senhora do Rosário housing development, in Vila das Capelas, Ponta Delgada. This project had been repeatedly postponed for over two decades by previous socialist administrations.

Among those attending the delivery ceremony of the new houses in Ginetes were the Mayor of Ponta Delgada, Pedro Nascimento Cabral; the Regional Director for Housing, Daniel Pavão; and the Mayor of the Ginetes Parish Council, Paulo Pavão.

On that occasion, the Regional Secretary expressed her gratitude to the Regional Directorate for Housing staff “for the dedication, professionalism and sense of commitment to public service.” As she noted, they are contributing, across various areas, to the successful implementation of this strategic plan for the Azores, thereby establishing the Region as a credible partner in the implementation of the RRP.