Blumenau (SC), October 6, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, presented a novel proposal, on Friday (3), to alleviate Brazil's housing deficit problem. At the inauguration of an apartment complex for the needy population on the outskirts of Blumenau, the President suggested that poor families with no place to live occupy vacant buildings in large urban centers. "We must find a way to transform these vacant buildings into dwellings for the poorest segments of the population, because sanitary installations, electricity, and water already exist, and people could live in urban centers paying what they can afford," he said.

Lula said that São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte could adopt this proposal. According to the President, there are currently 4.5 million vacant residences in the large urban centers, while the country's housing deficit comes to 6.5 million homes. "This can only be done with criteria and political determination to transform a dream into reality," he underscored.

The President reaffirmed that his Administration's objective is to provide better living conditions for the population. As an example of a program that is producing positive results, he cited steps taken by the Federal Savings Bank in the area of basic sanitation. According to the President, through the beginning of this month, the Bank had invested three times more resources in basic sanitation than in all of last year. "We passed three straight years in which not a cent was spent on basic sanitation. For a long time it was forgotten that a nation is not built only of machines, but of men and women." (DAS)