At the public session held on 15 September at the Portugal Pavilion in Lisbon, the association presented itself as a "platform for thought, analysis, and civic action," focused on producing knowledge and participating in public debate, proposing reforms "to reduce administrative blockages and accelerate urban planning and licensing processes," models for mobilising public assets for affordable housing, and solutions that allow for the creation of affordable housing without increasing public spending, targeting young people and the middle class.

Based on the premise that "housing is not a sector, it is a foundation," the AHDPP proposes a model aimed at "fair rent," according to which "no one should pay more than a third for a roof over their head."

At the end of the presentation, in statements to journalists, the association's president, Rui Miguel Braga, said many private partners are interested in the construction model they propose.

"It's perhaps the only certainty we have on this path: there is private capital interested in investing, as long as it generates profitability," said the vice-mayor of Barreiro.

The association considers it important to understand how the public and private sectors combine, assuming the latter seeks profit and that "there is nothing wrong with that," but it proposes direct intervention by municipalities to manage the housing stock and free up land.

"In five years we will have families living in apartments paying what our average salary can afford," he said, stressing that these calculations have been made.

"We did these calculations; we have been thinking about this model for some time," he added.

The association will present "the solution found" to the Government and the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities.

Non-partisan and non-profit, AHDPP is composed of a group of professionals, academics, and specialists from different areas, who may still think differently, but agree "on the destination: more housing."

Speaking at the close of the session, Patrícia Gonçalves Costa, Secretary of State for Housing, congratulated AHDPP for "not limiting itself to identifying the problem," but "taking the next step."

In later statements to journalists, she noted that "the Government has a practice of listening to civil society, working with civil society," rejecting the idea of ​​"needing help," but stressing that the executive branch believes it must "work with all" the agents involved in the housing sector.

"Portugal has not built what it should have built in recent decades," she stressed that it is necessary to "mobilize everyone," including at IHRU, "to submit an application."