that the conditions were better than in Kirenia ’ s shelter , but a lady at the entrance retrieved me from the error : " There is no good condition here . The bathrooms are not inside the cubicles .” I did not have time to check whether it was true , but I saw from outside that the stairs were broken . Kirenia assured me that there are many empty houses in Regla . On the way , she could show me a few . " They always tell us that there is no accommodation fund and that these empty houses are private properties . But suddenly , somebody comes to live there and nobody knows where he or she came from . It is rumored that the former Housing Director was removed from office due to an illegal house sale , but there is no reliable source to confirm it . At the Government Palace , we were informed that the president only attended on Saturdays and we must arrive very early to meet him . Anyway , a lady from the Department of Attention to the Population received us . When we made the case for Vivian , who should have moved to a dwelling this year , but it was assigned to someone else , the lady answered in the same way as the president : " That ' s nothing to do with us , you should ask in the Housing Directorate ". We went there and the employees greeted Kirenia . She is an old acquaintance . All of them are familiar with her case and Vivian ' s . Yanet Piedra , an official in the Department of Accommodation Fund Control , explained that the house in Casablanca — in the very passageway where Vivian ' s daughter lives — had not been assigned to anyone . " The person occupying it will be temporarily there , while repairing her collapsed house . After that , it will be available for being assigned and the person under consideration is Vivian .” Barbara , an official in the Department of Attention to Population , gave me a broader explanation . " Vivian has been offered three homes : two in Robles Dos and one in La Jata . We have put her ahead some people who have been sheltered longer , because of her medical problems . She has been in shelter since 2006 ." After pointing out that the previous years were not taking into account , since Vivian argues she had the right to be sheltered , but there was no room available , I told Barbara that the legal ten-year term expired in 2016 . Barbara said : " Housing is given after fifteen years in shelter . The problem of the sheltered people in Regla is that they do not want to go far away , but they must understand that in this municipality there is neither accommodation fund nor dwellings under construction . The constructions sites are far from here ." Another employee said that , however , there is land to build in Regla . Barbara did not have an answer for that . However , she said that Vivian ' s problem is going to be resolved : " She has priority because of her illnesses and we also understand she is desperate .” As we said goodbye , Kirenia told me in a low voice : " I do go wherever they say ; I have told my mother , it doesn ´ t matter where they send us . What ’ s important to us is leaving the shelter ". Like the rest of the sheltered people and most Cubans , Kirenia cannot think of paying a rent or buying a house , although it became legal in 2012 . Salaries are barely enough to eat ; cloths and shoes are luxury items , especially if there are children to support . There is no way to raise money for buying even a room . There are no micro-brigades either , as in the past , when a person could work in building construction for three years ( if he or she was lucky ) or twenty to get an apartment , if he or she did not give up ( or died ) along the way . The option to build by self-effort is a daunting task , which requires a good health that Santa and Kirenia do not have .
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