Rome’s Public Housing Crisis: A Web of Illegal Occupations and Crime Unveiled
Rome, the Eternal City, is facing a deeply troubling crisis within its public housing sector. An in-depth investigation reveals a staggering 10,000 properties, managed by Ater or Erp, are currently held by unauthorized occupants, rendering them unavailable to those on legitimate waiting lists. This systemic issue is not merely a matter of bureaucratic oversight; it’s a breeding ground for organized crime, drug dealing, and, in some tragic instances, even murder. With an average of four denunciations filed daily, the scale of the problem is immense, prompting authorities to signal a renewed offensive against these illicit occupations following a temporary pause for the Jubilee Year.
The Jubilee’s ‘Humanitarian’ Pause and the Looming Offensive
The recent Jubilee Year saw a noticeable dip in eviction operations, a ‘humanitarian’ slowdown in efforts to reclaim public housing units illegally occupied. However, this respite appears to be drawing to a close. 2026 is poised to be the year when Rome launches a full-scale offensive against abusive tenants, particularly those exploiting these properties for criminal activities. The primary concerns are drug dealing, the racket of illegal occupations controlled by organized crime, and clandestine sub-leases. The city’s chronicles are replete with examples of such situations, some with tragic consequences.
Homicides Linked to Occupations: A Disturbing Pattern
The dark underbelly of these illegal occupations has manifested in horrific acts of violence. On October 15 of last year, 19-year-old Simone Schiavello was murdered in Ostia, a culmination of a dispute with an Italian-Chilean drug dealer, Simone Jerez, following the seizure of a public housing unit transformed into a drug lab. Earlier, on February 2, 2023, Fabrizio Vallo, 58, was fatally shot in Ostia in another incident tied to public housing occupations, leading to the arrest of Emanuele Caradonna. More recently, last Christmas, Demir Orahovac, 25, was brutally beaten to death in Trullo, another occupied housing complex, by Claudio and Andrea Zainaghi, a father and son, and Davide Azzolina. These chilling events underscore the dangerous environment fostered by unchecked illegal occupations across neighborhoods like Tor Bella Monaca, San Basilio, Vigne Nuove, Torrevecchia, Quarticciolo, Tufello, Ponte di Nona, and Tor Marancia.
The Staggering Numbers: 10,000 Illicitly Held Properties
The current situation in Rome is dire. Approximately 10,000 properties, encompassing not only apartments but also garages and commercial spaces, are illegally occupied. Ater, one of the main public housing bodies, now reports 9,000 unavailable units out of its 45,000 total, with over 16,000 individuals on the waiting list in Rome. The process of reclaiming these homes is arduous, with 600 administrative procedures reaching their final stages, often necessitating the intervention of public forces.
Erp Properties: A Smaller but Significant Problem
On the Erp front, which manages 27,000 housing units owned or managed by the Municipality of Rome, illegal occupations affect 2-3 percent of the total, still amounting to nearly a thousand properties. Between 2023 and 2025, municipal police conducted 18,323 inspections to protect communal and public residential building assets. These efforts resulted in 714 evictions and 2,761 denunciations for the occupation of land and buildings, including public housing (under Article 639 bis of the Penal Code). This translates to approximately four reports to judicial authorities daily. Numerous operations by the Carabinieri, Municipal Police, and State Police have also uncovered illegal connections for electricity, water, and gas by these unauthorized occupants, often linked to criminal clans. Recent events in Torrevecchia, involving a series of high-powered firecracker attacks on building entrances, further highlight the pervasive influence of these criminal networks.
The Path Forward: Resuming Evictions and Addressing Systemic Issues
The temporary halt in evictions for the Jubilee, while intended as a humanitarian gesture, has inadvertently allowed the problem to fester. The upcoming period is expected to see a significant increase in efforts to reclaim these illegally occupied properties. However, the sheer scale of the issue, coupled with its deep roots in organized crime, suggests that a comprehensive and sustained strategy will be required to truly address Rome’s public housing crisis. Beyond evictions, there is a pressing need to examine the underlying vulnerabilities that allow such widespread abuse to occur and to strengthen control mechanisms to prevent future illicit occupations.
Source: https://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/26_aprile_08/case-popolari-a-roma-10mila-occupazioni-abusive-e-4-denunce-al-giorno-via-agli-sgomberi-dopo-la-tregua-per-il-giubileo-8b41a7eb-97a1-4404-83f8-df8a54d0fxlk.shtml
