"Where do I go? Under a bridge?"

India Santiago left what has been her home for the past two and a half years with her infant daughter in one arm and a bag of clothes in the other. This is all she and her partner could take from what was their home: a small one-bedroom flat. In the coming days, if they wish, they can request the key to collect the rest of their belongings, although for now, they do not know where to take them or where they will sleep tonight.

Neither the large group of activists from the Sindicat de Barri de Carolines nor the neighbours gathered at the doors could prevent the eviction of this family. In this case, the owner of the property is neither an individual nor an investment fund, but the Valencian Housing and Land Entity (EVHA).

The judicial committee arrived at 9:30, accompanied by a strong police presence. With shouts of "I'd be ashamed to evict a family," the Sindicat activists and a group of neighbours greeted the EVHA representatives. About thirty people approached number 4 Pintor Castelló Street to try to stop the eviction.

"We are in a very bad situation. We have been living in this house for more than two years, and legally they have to give us social rent and a contract," explains India. She is disappointed, as during this time they have tried several times to regularise the situation of the house, which was in a relative's name. "We have moved papers" to try to get social rent. "They know I have a baby and another on the way, and they throw me out like this. The EVHA blames the court, and the court blames the EVHA," the young woman laments.

The eviction leaves them without alternatives. India's mother lives with her grandmother, and her partner's mother already has seven people in her house. "Where do I go? Under a bridge?" she asks.

The Sindicat de Barri pointed out that in this case, the EVHA committee did not even want to engage in dialogue with the activists upon arrival, something they consider unusual. "Even when a committee from a vulture fund or an individual comes, although they are going to execute the eviction, they stop to talk to us." They have also failed to negotiate in person with any responsible party from the entity or received a response to the emails sent.

The Sindicat highlights that the family has lived in the house since the death of a relative, whose tenancy position they intend to subrogate. This figure has already been recognised in Valencian legislation, at least since 2015. However, they emphasise the difficulty of the case as it is an eviction promoted by a public entity, something only the most veteran activists in the housing movement remember experiencing.

"Instead of contributing to ensuring universal access to housing, the EVHA evicts and defends its properties like any other speculator," they denounce in a statement. They also criticise the long waiting lists of the EVHA, where "many of the union's colleagues have been registered for years with little hope."

They also warn that when an allocation finally occurs, it is often far from the original neighbourhood, causing uprooting problems. "Meanwhile, the EVHA keeps empty or abandoned homes in Alicante. Instead of ensuring that their properties are well maintained and inhabited by families who need them, they evict," they conclude. "We find that the regional government has not used any of the tools at its disposal to remove housing from the market: on the contrary, it continues to give away public land to private companies to build flats with unaffordable prices."