Leiria, Portugal, Feb. 6, 2026 (Lusa) - The Diocesan Caritas of Leiria-Fátima warned on Friday of the housing vulnerability of many people, including migrants, who "cannot be forgotten".
"It is a situation that is causing us great concern. We are encountering situations where families are living in rented houses, but without any contract or rent receipt," Nelson Costa, director of services at Cáritas Diocesana de Leiria-Fátima, told the Lusa news agency.
According to Nelson Costa, on Thursday, technicians from the institution came across "a family whose only place to sleep is in the living room".
"When we went to visit this home, the three children in the household were in the car, because it was the safest and most dignified place for them to be," he said, adding that the situation is in the municipality of Leiria.
At the moment, this migrant family "continues to sleep in the living room because there is no response in terms of housing," having been told to look for a house, with Caritas committing to supporting them.
This representative of Cáritas Diocesana de Leiria-Fátima stressed that the institution is concerned about the housing situation of all families affected by bad weather, including migrants.
"They also need dignity and, in fact, in these times and with the extremism that often appears...", he noted.
Nelson Costa pointed out that "these people are also very important for Portugal, they are looking for better living conditions and are fighting hard to achieve them".
"This storm has once again jeopardised the dignity and life plans of all these people, from migrants to Portuguese nationals," he added.
On social media, Cáritas said it had distributed "35 tonnes of food and hygiene products" by 12:00 on Thursday and directly supported 293 families with food parcels and essential goods at its facilities.
"Between Monday and Wednesday, we visited and directly accompanied 196 families in the various municipalities of the Diocese of Leiria-Fátima," and on Thursday, "there were 19 technicians and volunteers in the field, working tirelessly to provide assistance, listen and offer direct support."
Twelve people have died in Portugal since last week as a result of the passage of storms Kristin and Leonardo, which also caused many hundreds of injuries and displaced people.
The total or partial destruction of homes, businesses and equipment, the fall of trees and structures, the closure of roads, schools and transport services, and the cutting of power, water and communications are the main material consequences of the storm.
The Central, Lisbon and Tagus Valley and Alentejo regions are the most affected.
The government has extended the state of emergency until 15 February, covering 68 municipalities, which will benefit from support measures worth up to €2.5 billion.
The state of emergency in mainland Portugal was initially declared between 28 January and 1 February for around 60 municipalities, then extended until 8 February for 68 municipalities, and has now been extended again until 15 February.
SR/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
