News this evening is that property sales professionals in Portugal are uniting efforts to create a national database pinpointing properties that are available either free or for very low rental to Ukrainian families fleeing the war.
Jornal de Notícias reports that “in a matter of hours, the group had guaranteed more than 300 beds and offers don’t stop coming in from borough councils, hotels, businesses, private institutions and investors”.
“We know who has properties, where they are and who owns the buildings. Each one of us has a very large database. We’re working together – businesses, hotels and private entities – to ensure Ukrainian families arriving in Portugal will have a place to stay”, Joanna Koltan, an estate agent working in Porto told the paper.
A Facebook group has already formed (click here), and offers so far have been received from “several town councils, like Cartaxo, Fundão and Abrantes, from businesses in Porto, from a hotel in Póvoa de Varzim, and from many private people who are making rooms or even entire apartments available to Ukrainian refugees”.
Job opportunities are also coming in from the Algarve and Madeira.
More on this building effort in solidarity as it develops – but for now Portugal is showing what it does best, to those who need it most.
