The housing situation in Herdade da Comporta involves contractual, property, urban planning, and social issues.
Through the "Social Inspections" Program, the Fundação da Herdade da Comporta monitors resident families, simultaneously overseeing their social condition and the general state of the dwellings.
In 2011, the Isabel Theodora Social (Re)Housing Project was established, and the Foundation was entrusted with managing a small number of houses for the pilot version of the project.
Maintenance work began on these houses, contractual situations were regularized, and support was provided to the families. The Foundation views the houses in Herdade da Comporta, where families of former workers and their descendants reside, as a form of "social housing," resulting from 50 years of corporate social responsibility by the company.
Currently, this "social housing" is dispersed and distributed across seven villages, ensuring social inclusion while preserving the traditional and urbanistic characteristics of the localities. Over the years, the families supported by the Foundation, residing in these houses, have improved their quality of life and stabilized their employment situation, which is reflected in increased rent values.
Expanding this project could benefit more families and provide additional income to the Foundation, ensuring its continuity and consistency.
AND IN THE FUTURE?
The impact of development places considerable pressure on the villages of Comporta and their communities. It's not just about ensuring decent housing for resident populations and their descendants; it's about considering the future of villages that, in the past century, were already eco-sustainable. For example, Comporta's electricity supply came from a generator located at the Rice Mill, powered 100% by rice husks.
The growth of the villages will be inevitable.
For these reasons, the objectives of this area of the Foundation's intervention are:
Ensuring affordable housing for the populations.
Preserving the traditional landscape, architectural, and cultural characteristics of the villages.