The Second Chamber of the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the TSJC issued a resolution on June 20th that reinstates the right to rehousings and rental assistance for the five families affected by the landslide that occurred in the María Jiménez neighborhood almost eighteen years ago.
The incident, which took place on New Year's Eve 2008, rendered a home on Avenida Andrés Vidal, known as Africuya, uninhabitable. This event forced five families to embark on a lengthy judicial and administrative process that had not yet concluded.
“"He may have done whatever he did and was sentenced to jail, but with us, he was the only one who helped."
Eva Castellano, one of the affected residents, recalls the swift action of the then-mayor Miguel Zerolo, who ordered the slope to be secured and approved exceptional rental assistance. However, the continuation of this aid was later questioned on legal grounds, leading the dispute to the courts.
The management of the rehousing was transferred to Municipal Housing in 2014, and the controversy became definitively judicialized. Despite a direct subsidy granted in 2021, it was conditional on submitting a rehabilitation project, a requirement that led to further disagreement.
The new TSJC ruling reiterates that the rental aid was linked to the displacement situation and the property's rehabilitation, circumstances the Chamber considers still valid in the absence of a definitive solution. For the Felipe family, this verdict signifies regaining lost protection and the hope of returning to their home.
The Councilor for Heritage, Javier Rivero, views the ruling as legal backing to maintain the aid, asserting that the Council has never turned its back on the families and that the necessary administrative actions will be promoted.
Rivero is confident that the resolution will end nearly two decades of conflict. The affected families also hope this time will be different, allowing them to return to their house after feeling mistreated by the Administration for years.
