When David and his family decided to move from the Madrid district of San Blas to the small town of Arbancón, in Guadalajara, he knew that the biggest challenge was going to be finding a rental home that was also in good condition. His case was one of many. “There are families who want to start a business here, open bars, cheese shops or continue with honey and they can’t because they can’t find housing,” he says. Arbancón is in the Sierra Norte of Guadalajara, one of the demographic deserts of Europe, where this curve is. Its 85 municipalities, according to data from the Guadalajara Depopulation Observatory, grew by 8.2% between 2020 and 2025, incorporating 898 new inhabitants. Part of the credit goes to the aid for the rehabilitation of rental housing from ADEL-Sierra Norte, the group of municipalities that promotes the development of this region and is chaired by the mayor of Sigüenza, María Jesús Merino (PSOE). The first call allowed around twenty town councils to prepare empty properties to use them for rent. The second, already closed, has exceeded the available budget. “They are being a success,” Merino highlights. One of those homes was that of David, who runs a small supermarket in Arbancón with his wife. They are distributed in 27 towns and this summer they will reinforce their staff: “It bothers me to say it, but we are doing very well.”
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