Antonio Manresa Pardo, a 66-year-old Cuban, has been struggling with severe vision impairment for over a decade. According to a medical certificate obtained by CiberCuba, he lost sight in one eye eleven years ago and has limited vision in the other. In 2015, due to his vulnerable condition, Manresa was among 24 individuals granted land in Campo Florido (Havana del Este). However, he recounts that the land "vanished" as some recipients had paid deposits to individuals who later left the country. After years of complaints, the Housing Authorities eventually relocated these beneficiaries to areas in Alamar and Bahía, also in Havana del Este.
In 2019, Manresa discovered documents confirming his land allocation in Campo Florido. This discovery led him on a journey through various government offices, from the PCC to the Granma newspaper, and numerous visits to the Council of State. "I believe they recognized me there, for how often I went," he shares in a video accessed by CiberCuba.
Desperate Measures for Basic Living
Fed up with being ignored, Manresa threatened a provincial government official, identified as Juanita, with public protest if not provided with a place to live. "That was at 9:00 am. By 12:00 pm, they had given me a shelter in Cojímar," he explains. Manresa lived there for nearly two years before being moved to a small basement apartment at Avenida 15, building 9038, apartment 10, in Bahía. However, he was shocked to learn that this apartment came with a price tag of 350,700 pesos. "Had I known, I would have stayed at the shelter," he laments.
The apartment, roughly 35 square meters, provides the basics for living but is far from free. In April, the Habana del Este Provincial Housing Directorate issued a notification demanding he pay either 179 monthly installments of 1,959.76 pesos or remain a renter, not the owner.
A Burden Beyond Means
The authorities overlooked a critical detail: Manresa's monthly pension, after a lifetime of working for the purportedly socialist state, amounts to only 1,543 pesos. "It doesn’t even cover a croquette," he says. Each pension check is already spent by the time he receives it. Despite his dire financial circumstances, government officials suggested he ask his son for the 350,000 pesos, a notion he finds unrealistic. "I rely on the government, not my son," Manresa asserts.
The legal price of the small apartment should be 4,270 Cuban pesos according to the Housing Law, but the government has inflated this value by 82 times, ignoring both Manresa's vulnerability and his real risk of poverty.
Without Internet access on his phone or the means to pay the state's demands, Manresa finds himself in a desperate situation. Despite returning to the Council of State, he was directed to social workers in Vedado. His housing situation remains precarious.
Frequently Asked Questions about Housing Issues in Cuba
What challenges does Antonio Manresa face with his housing situation?
Antonio Manresa struggles with unaffordable housing costs imposed by the government, which far exceed his monthly pension, leaving him unable to secure ownership of his apartment.
How did the government respond to Manresa's housing needs?
Initially, the government provided temporary shelter but later required him to pay an exorbitant price for a permanent apartment, without considering his financial limitations.