The Government allocates five million to housing for Doñana seasonal workers

The Council of Ministers approved Royal Decree 765/2026, of September 30, which regulates the direct grant of five million euros in housing subsidies for local initiatives in the area of influence of the Doñana Natural Space. The regulation, published in the Official State Gazette number 244, of October 2, 2026 (reference BOE-A-2026-20471), distributes the funds between the city councils of Moguer and Palos de la Frontera. The text enters into force on the day following its publication.

The provision, signed by King Felipe VI and countersigned by the Minister of Housing and Urban Agenda, Isabel Rodríguez García, is issued at the proposal of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda and develops line 13.4 of the Framework of actions for the sustainable territorial development of the area of influence of the Doñana Natural Space, relating to the access of seasonal workers to decent housing. The Executive justifies the direct grant—without a public call—on grounds of public, social, economic, and humanitarian interest, under article 22.2.c) of Law 38/2003, of November 17, General Law on Subsidies.

The royal decree is framed within the State Housing Plan 2026-2030 and the PERTE for Housing Industrialization, approved by agreement of the Council of Ministers on May 6, 2025. The regulation recalls that both the Ombudsman and his Andalusian counterpart have reiterated the need to assist people residing in precarious settlements, lacking social and health infrastructures.

Distribution: 2.5 million for each municipality

The total amount amounts to 5,000,000 euros, allocated equitably according to the annex of the regulation:

• Moguer City Council: 2,500,000 euros.
• Palos de la Frontera City Council: 2,500,000 euros.

The beneficiaries are solely these two city councils, as the Lucena del Puerto City Council communicated on May 21, 2026, its waiver to be a beneficiary of the 2026 annuity. The grants are financed from the 2026 budget of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda and will be paid in a single advance payment after the signing of the agreement, without the requirement of guarantees as it involves a public administration.

Housing, shelters, and deadlines

The subsidies will finance the acquisition, construction, and rehabilitation of decent housing for seasonal agricultural workers, as well as the creation of a network of shelters and accommodations. The actions may include:

• Acquisition of already constructed properties for their conditioning.
• Purchase of land to build protected housing.
• Rehabilitation of protected housing for social use.
• Construction of new works using industrialized models.
• Building on publicly owned or endowment land.

The agreements with each mayor’s office must be formalized before December 1, 2026, and the execution period shall extend at most until December 31, 2030. City councils may subcontract up to one hundred percent of the subsidized activity and group together to execute joint projects.

Background: from the urgent response to the permanent solution

Line 13.4 was activated in 2025 through Royal Decree 940/2025, of October 21, which funded urgent and temporary construction and rehabilitation actions for housing. That first phase was supported by the Interministerial Collaboration Agreement signed on May 30, 2025, between the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda, which covers the annual periods of 2025, 2026, and 2027. The now-published text warns that, with the immediate response guaranteed, it is time to move toward structural and permanent solutions.

The funded investments shall remain permanently allocated to the public purpose for which they are granted: the houses, shelters, and accommodations may not be sold or privatized and must be integrated into the municipality’s public residential stock. Failure to comply with the schedule or intermediate milestones will lead to the reimbursement of the aid, based on proportional graduation criteria.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 244, of October 2, 2026, Sec. I. General Provisions, page 128829 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-20471).