São Paulo has the second largest vertical squatting in Latin America

At the number 911 of the Avenue Prestes Maia, at the center of the city of São Paulo, 378 families live in the second largest vertical occupation in Latin America. According to Gaspar Garcia Centre for Human Rights, only the Tower of David in Venezuela has more squatters. The location of the two blocks—one with 22 floors and the other with nine—is the main reason for the property abandoned by the owner for decades to be always full of squatters. It takes only a few steps to get to the subway station at Parque da Luz, where there are connections to other subway lines and commuter trains.

It is estimated that more than a thousand people live on the place. "There's no way to know exactly how many people are there, because there are families with ten children, but also people on their own," says Ivanete de Araújo, one of the leaders of the squatting. In the place where there was a weaving industry, families have divided the spaces into small rooms. The bathroom and laundry are shared.

The elevator has stopped working. The building suffers from mold, caused by infiltration with water soaking into subsurface soils. The neighborhood association had to install a pump to throw away exceeding water.

The Fire Department's major concern, as described in a formal letter attached to the property repossession procedure, is the imminent risk of fire. Reporters found no fire extinguishers in any of the floors. However, there are many exposed electrical wires and bottled gas enclosed in unventilated areas. Wooden partitions draw the picture. There are no escape routes in case of emergency, and stairs without protection and without handrails pose obvious risk, especially for children.

Despite the risks, the resident Maria José da Silva, 47, mentions that she likes to have the opportunity to be treated in hospitals at the center of São Paulo. "If I was living away, I don't know how I would do it. I do dialysis three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It's difficult to live away," said Maria José, who suffers from kidney problems.

Before moving to the occupation, Maria José lived in a boarding house, but faced financial difficulties. The innkeeper himself suggested that she should move to a squatting. "I had fear, but I was forced to come because the rent payments were late and I wasn't able to pay [them]."

Sandra Regina de Oliveira, 53, took advantage of the central location of her new house to look after children while their mothers work. She takes care of six children and earns $250.00 of monthly income. "I can survive and save some money each day so that I can pay for my apartment. Living here, I'm saving money; in other places I couldn't."

To live on the location, you need to pay $27.64 of monthly fee, which ensures water, electricity supplies and cover other maintenance expenses. Internal rules prohibit alcohol consumption, drug use, prostitution and any aggression in the building.

Repossession

Built in the 1960s to house a weaving industry, the building was abandoned in the early 1980s. It was first occupied in 2002, but five years later the residents were removed. At that time, the Housing and Urban Development Company (CDHU in the original acronym) attended to 150 families, who moved to a housing development in Itaquera in the east zone of São Paulo. Other 150 families agreed to receive a rent supplement from the city council for six months, renewable for other six.

The property owner, Jorge Nacle Hamuche, from the Real State company Axel Empreendimentos Imobiliários, said that after eviction, the building stayed empty for a year and a half while he was establishing partnership with construction companies interested in running offices in the building. "But then they [the homeless] broke the wall and entered again [in 2010]," he reports.

Since then, residents have faced 20 attempts of repossession. The next order to evict has been scheduled for September 26th.

Hamuche explains that the city council has filed the set of procedures for expropriation and has already deposited the equivalent of 40% of the amount to be paid for the property in court. "But the building value value stands at R$27 million ($7.1 million), the city estimates it at R$22 million ($5.79 million). “This gives me a loss of R$5 million ($1.3 million)," says the executive.

Reporters from Agência Brasil found out that the property owner has not payed the tax on urban property (IPTU in the original acronym) since 1986. With updated values, the debt reachs $2.4 million. In 2013, the market value of the property was estimated at $1.7 million, with 14,300 square meters of building area.

Hamuche admits he owes $1.5 million to the city council, but promises to pay off the debt if the squatters leave the property. According to him, there is still the intention to establish partnerships for the construction of an office building. The executive announced that he would not accept a new agreement for the expropriation. He advocates the construction of affordable housing in addresses further from the center which, according to him, is the least expensive and most beneficial option for the city council. "I hope [the squatters] have the dignity to come out peacefully [on June 26th], because it's nearly 20 years of free housing," he noted.

A viability study, commissioned by the squatters to check the possibility of transforming the building into an affordable housing, conducted by the architect Waldir Cesar Ribeiro in 2013, shows that the building structure and masonry are in good condition.

The architect found, however, that the hydraulic system and sanitary facility were deteriorated, and that electrical installations, pumping, elevators, frames of doors and windows, floor and wall coverings needed to be replaced.

Also according to the study, an investment of $3.7 million would be necessary to turn the building into a housing development. This investment would be enough for 300 apartments with a private area of 38 square meters.

Translated by Amarílis Anchieta