A/HRC/34/51/Add.2 27. From the late 1970s until 2008, housing construction surged in Portugal; the number of houses nearly doubled, and at access to credit for housing at low interest rates was more readily available. According to Statistics Portugal, between 1990 and 2001, the number of tenants decreased from 61 to 24 per cent. By the end of the 1990s, between 20 and 25 per cent of the labour force – including unskilled workers who had migrated from rural areas to the cities, and migrants from former colonies in Africa – were engaged in construction. Today, that figure stands at approximately 9 per cent. 15 Since 2002, and despite the slowdown in new housing construction, the number of new housing units is still higher than the number of housing rehabilitated. 28. With regard to access to services and infrastructure, an important element of adequate housing under international human rights law, the European Housing Exclusion Index for 2016 shows that approximately one in four people in Portugal has serious problems in keeping their home adequately warm (23.8 per cent in 2015), almost three times higher than in the rest of the European Union. Severe housing deprivation is an issue of concern, especially for young people between 20 and 29 years, and dramatically increases the risk of homelessness. 29. Under international law, for housing to be adequate it must be affordable, particularly for those living in poverty. In 2015, 33.5 per cent of poor households lived in unaffordable situations, and were thus at risk of falling into arrears or mortgage foreclosure, a 3 per cent increase in just two years. According to information received by the Special Rapporteur from INE, 11 per cent of people living in poverty live in severe housing deprivation, and almost 10.3 per cent (21 per cent of whom are poor) live in overcrowded households. B. National housing policies 30. The national housing strategy for the period 2015-2030, which is operational in nature, is aimed at ensuring access to housing for families, on the basis of three thematic cornerstones; urban rehabilitation, housing rent, and the rehabilitation of housing (contributing to social inclusion and to the protection of the most marginalized). The connection of the strategy to other housing policies and its relevance is unclear. 31. The Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (Instituto da Habitação e da Reabilitação Urbana, or IHRU)) is in charge of implementing of the housing and urban rehabilitation policies of the central Government, particularly for low-income families. To this end, it provides grants and loans, with or without subsidies, to public, private and cooperative institutions. Where necessary, IHRU provides guarantees for social housing and urban rehabilitation financing operations, and may participate in companies, real estate investment funds, consortiums, public-private partnerships and other forms of association that pursue urban rehabilitation. 32. Portugal also has in place several programmes and policies to address specific housing challenges, reduce housing shortage, and regulate the interaction and functions between the national Government and the autonomous regions and municipalities responsible for housing. 33. The Housing Access Financing Programme (Programa de Financiamento para Acesso à Habitação, or PROHABITA) has been in place since 2004. Its objective is to support families with serious housing difficulties by providing cost-controlled housing, 15 8 Banco de Portugal, Nota de Informação estatística 126, 2016, Análise do setor da construção, 20112016, 5 December 2016.