Housing crisis forces multiple families to share the same home
Soaring housing costs are forcing households to share single properties, with extremes of up to six families under one roof, while many workers are taking on additional employment — including third jobs — to meet rent and mortgage bills. The situation points to a shortage of affordable accommodation, rising pressure on the local property market and public services, and wider impacts on health, education and the labour market.
High rents: sharing a home with strangers has become the only solution for many families in Portugal
Soaring rental costs and a shortage of affordable housing have pushed many Portuguese families to take in unrelated flatmates or move into shared accommodation as their only viable option.
Vitória lives with her boyfriend and daughter in a home shared with another family, Gabriela shares a room with her two daughters: "Even so, I feel a little anxious"
In Lisbon, Vitória lives with her boyfriend and her daughter in a three-bedroom flat shared with another family — a mother who has two daughters. In Porto, Gabriela sleeps in the same room as her two 16-year-old daughters. There are increasing cases of families sharing homes.
