A dramatic story of social fragility turns into a ray of hope in the city of Florence. The story of Mrs. Franca, a 94-year-old widow, almost blind and suffering from serious movement difficulties, kept the entire community in suspense. The elderly woman, resident since the 1960s in a 70 square meter apartment in the Rifredi district where she raised her daughter and cherished the memories of a lifetime, had received a formal cancellation of the rental contract. The document required the property to be vacated by February 28, announcing an increase in the monthly rent from 450 euros to as much as 1,200 euros.
Her story immediately brought to mind the dramatic Spanish case of Maricarmen, the eighty-seven year old from Madrid who was evicted from her home and died a few days later in hospital. Unlike the Spanish woman, for whom the loss of her home turned into a tragedy, the happy ending arrived for the ninety-four year old Florentine. The decisive turning point came late on Wednesday evening, when the property’s lawyer, Chiara Bentivegna, announced the owners’ definitive about-face. As clarified by the lawyer, the communication sent to the elderly woman represented a formal termination of the lease, but the woman’s daughter had already been reassured of the real intentions. The property has thus confirmed that Franca will not have to abandon her accommodation and will continue to pay the same amount paid so far, keeping the rent blocked at 450 euros per month rather than adapting it to the values of the real estate market.
The reactions of the mayor Sara Funaro, the president Eugenio Giani and the unions
The hypothesis of an eviction due to the end of the tenancy had sparked a wave of indignation and prompt institutional mobilization. The mayor of Florence, Sara Funaro, had firmly sided with the ninety-four year old, recalling that the woman had always paid the rent regularly, also benefiting from a municipal contribution, and defining the operation of tripling the rent as an act devoid of humanity. A harsh appeal also came from the president of the Tuscany Region, Eugenio Giani, who underlined how housing represents a fundamental right of the individual, especially when faced with extremely vulnerable physical conditions.
The case has put the spotlight back on the housing emergency affecting the Tuscan capital, where an eviction is recorded on average every 2 days. The city administration has so far assigned 72 homes through the housing emergency ranking, but the social partners are asking for structural interventions. Bernardo Marasco, secretary of the CGIL Florence, and Erika Caparrini, of the CISL Florence-Prato secretariat, defined the affair as the tip of the iceberg of an out-of-control real estate crisis, calling for a social agency for housing and coordination on evictions. Reminder initiatives also came from Gabriele Danesi of the Abitare Solidale project, from the city councilor Dimitrij Palagi of Sinistra Progetto Comune and from Massimo Torelli, coordinator of Salviamo Firenze.
