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Six federal buildings will be allocated for affordable housing in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, and Alagoas, with an estimate of 909 units through Minha Casa, Minha Vida Entidades. The measure aims to repurpose abandoned properties, reduce legal disputes, and bring low-income families to established urban areas.
The federal buildings that were abandoned, occupied, or without social function in four Brazilian states will be transformed into affordable housing. The allocation was formalized by the Secretariat of the Union’s Heritage, linked to the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services, on May 25, 2026.
According to the portal ND Mais, the measure involves six Union properties located in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, and Alagoas. The forecast is to create 909 housing units through Minha Casa, Minha Vida Entidades, with the participation of non-profit organizations and social movements qualified to work on the renovations and future occupation.
Abandoned buildings enter the center of housing policy
The allocation of the properties marks an attempt to give social use to public structures that, for years, remained underutilized in already established urban areas. Instead of building housing complexes far from the centers, the strategy repurposes existing buildings in regions with available transportation, commerce, services, and infrastructure.
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This choice has a direct impact on the debate about affordable housing. The housing problem is not just about the lack of houses, but also the contrast between empty properties and families without access to decent housing. When unused public buildings are converted into housing, the Union’s heritage fulfills a clearer social function.
Six federal properties are expected to generate 909 homes
The package includes six addresses distributed across four states. The largest forecast is in Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul, where a building in the Historic Center could generate 424 units. In São Paulo, there are properties on Avenida Nove de Julho, in Bela Vista, and on Rua Martins Fontes, in Consolação, with estimates of 250 and 94 homes.
Also on the list is a building on Rua Riachuelo, in Lapa, Rio de Janeiro, with a forecast of 66 units; a property in Maceió, Alagoas, with 40; and another in Campinas, in the interior of São Paulo, with 35. Combined, the buildings have the potential to serve more than 900 low-income families in areas where the city is already functioning around them.
Minha Casa, Minha Vida Entidades will be used in the conversion
The conversion of the buildings will be carried out by Minha Casa, Minha Vida Entidades, a modality aimed at the action of non-profit organizing entities. These organizations can present proposals to manage the projects, conduct renovations, and organize the occupation of housing units according to the program’s rules.
The model seeks to bring public policy closer to families in need of housing. Instead of relying solely on large standardized developments, the proposal allows qualified entities to operate in existing properties. The transformation of old buildings into housing requires technical adaptation, regularization, and social management, not just physical renovation.
Government tries to reduce disputes and give social function to heritage
Some of the properties included in the package were abandoned or involved in occupations and legal disputes. The allocation for popular housing tries to organize this scenario, offering an institutional solution for buildings that generated cost, insecurity, and conflict without serving an effective public purpose.
The stated priority is to ensure permanence for families already occupying these spaces, provided they meet the income criteria and program requirements. This shifts the focus from pure and simple removal to an attempt at housing regularization, with rules, selection, and monitoring by the responsible entities.
Porto Alegre will have the largest project of the package
The case of Porto Alegre draws attention due to its size. The building located on Travessa Mário Cinco Paus, in the Historic Center, has 22 floors and potential for 424 housing units. Currently, the location houses families affected by the 2024 floods in Rio Grande do Sul, within the Maria da Conceição Tavares occupation.
The transformation of this building into affordable housing connects two urgencies: the urban housing deficit and the need to respond to families affected by climate disaster. Instead of leaving a vertical structure without a clear purpose, the project seeks to reorganize the use of the property in a central area, close to services and opportunities.
Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo will also have repurposed buildings
In Rio de Janeiro, the planned property is located on Rua Riachuelo, in Lapa. The building, linked to the INSS, had been without a purpose for more than four decades, according to the information package. The location in a historic and central area reinforces the argument that affordable housing can also occupy regions with established infrastructure.
In São Paulo, the selected addresses are in areas of strong urban demand, such as Bela Vista and Consolação, as well as Campinas. The presence of these buildings in central regions makes the policy more relevant, as it brings housing closer to transportation, employment, commerce, schools, and public services.
Entities will have a short deadline to submit proposals
The selection process for the responsible entities has already begun. Non-profit private organizations that are qualified in Minha Casa, Minha Vida Entidades can participate. The informed schedule foresees the submission of proposals by May 31 and the announcement of results on June 12.
If more than one entity competes for the same property, the classification will follow prioritization criteria defined for the program. The selection stage will be decisive because the quality of management directly influences the renovation, the organization of families, and the final delivery of the units.
Imóvel da Gente Program expands the use of public assets
The measure is part of the Imóvel da Gente Program, which seeks to direct federal public assets towards social policies. The proposal is to reduce idle properties, decrease maintenance costs, and transform Union assets into equipment, services, or housing with direct impact on the population.
Since 2023, the government reports having allocated 1,747 properties for different public policies in hundreds of municipalities. In this new package, the focus is on housing. The logic is simple but difficult to execute: use what already exists in cities to tackle problems that accumulate precisely where there is more infrastructure.
Affordable housing in central areas changes the urban logic
The construction of affordable housing in remote areas often creates another problem: families gain a house but are far from work, transport, health, school, and commerce. The reuse of federal buildings attempts to reverse this logic, bringing housing to areas where urban life is already structured.
This strategy can reduce commuting, improve access to services, and prevent low-income families from being pushed to increasingly distant suburbs. When affordable housing occupies central buildings, the housing policy moves beyond merely delivering units and starts discussing the right to the city.
The challenge now will be to turn the announcement into a completed project, with transparent selection, safe renovation, and organized occupation. And you, do you think abandoned public buildings should become affordable housing in central areas, or should the government prioritize new constructions outside major centers? Leave your opinion in the comments.
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