The family, unable to pay the high rent, was thrown out into the street.

The astronomical rise in housing rents in many cities, especially Antalya, Istanbul and Ankara, threatens the lives of citizens on a fixed income.

Cengiz Kul, founder of the Tenants Solidarity Platform, who worked for minimum wage in Antalya, was thrown out on the streets because he could not pay the rent demanded by the landlord.

‘Neither the government nor the opposition made a voice’

Fighting against skyrocketing rents in Antalya, Kul was left homeless with his cancer-stricken wife and three children, unable to pay the rent his landlord demanded.

Kul stated that he has been struggling with high rents for 8 months, saying: “We held press releases, marches and visits. We have gone to great lengths to make our voices heard by both the government and the opposition and to prevent tenant and landlord from clashing. We stood by his side to support the people who were thrown onto the streets in their homes. In the face of this situation that followed, neither the government that governed our country nor the opposition raised their voices, they did not see, they did not hear, ”he said.

‘WE WANT A MANAGEMENT PEOPLE’

Kul stated that he was not the first nor the last person thrown onto the street: “I tried to announce the murders, suicides and harassment that took place due to high rents. This is my problem, the people’s problem. If there is a people, there is a State, if there is no people, there is no State. As a father, I apologize to all of Türkiye and to the long-suffering Turkish people. I failed, but I invite all tenants to come together under one roof. Here, as the father of three children, I call on the government; If you are not solving the housing problem and you do not seriously value these people, please resign. “We want a leader who will take care of his people,” he said.

“I WAS SURPRISED AT WHAT TO DO”

Kul claimed that the landlord could not pay the required rent, saying, “Right now, we are thrown out on the street with my wife and children. Our things are on the street. I have been looking for a house for months and couldn’t find it. Even if I give all my salary, it doesn’t even cost me a house. I was confused about what to do. In the past, people used to borrow from the bank to buy a house, now they have to do it to pay the rent,” he said.