Dostálová: Preparations for the housing law would delay assistance

The government has committed in its program declaration to prepare a law on social housing. In the chapter on housing policy, it states that the regulation will address the needs of people in distress and on the margins of society, create conditions for municipalities, and social workers will work with tenants of social housing. Municipalities will also be able to demand that a certain share of the housing project consists of affordable apartments. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) said a month ago that a separate law is unlikely to emerge, and the government will focus on the construction program.

"The situation regarding the need for social housing is already critical in many regions. If we were to go the route of a law, we would be able to do something about it only in 2022 or 2023," said Dostálová. According to her, "all parameters of the social housing law" will be incorporated into the funding program Construction. The Ministry did not specify the parameters. Dostálová added that the program will launch in the spring of next year. Annually, it should allocate two billion crowns in subsidies for municipalities.

According to the Ministry, the program represents a quick solution, while the law is a long-term undertaking. The Ministry for Regional Development will continue to discuss legislation to support social or affordable housing, according to its spokesperson Vilém Frček, primarily with the Ministry of Labor.

Municipalities will be able to receive a 100% grant from the state for one-fifth of the apartments. The municipality or city will then determine who among the needy will be accommodated in this housing, Babiš mentioned recently. He noted that the Ministry for Regional Development also specifies categories of people who could qualify for a new municipal apartment within the Construction program. The Prime Minister stated that this concerns about 65,000 people. This number was also anticipated by the Ministry for Regional Development in the previous electoral term. In contrast, the Ministry of Labor considered helping a significantly larger number of people who found themselves in distress.

In the previous electoral term, the Ministry of Labor, under the leadership of the ČSSD, was preparing a law on social housing. The then government of the ČSSD, ANO, and the Christian Democrats could not reach an agreement on the regulation. Disputes mainly occurred between ANO and the ČSSD. The parties could not find common ground on issues such as who should be entitled to social housing. The original proposal, which would have obliged municipalities to maintain a certain percentage of social housing in their housing stock, was also contentious.

However, organizations advocating for people in distress argue that municipalities should be obligated to assist their residents and provide housing for those in need. This does not have to be limited to public housing but could also include rentals from private landlords. Social workers should focus on tenants, helping them cope with difficult situations.

If the state covers the entire construction of part of the apartments, according to Frček, there must also be accessible social work within them. "Its financing could be addressed, for example, by a higher contribution for the transferred competence of municipalities," the spokesperson added. Maps of rents, which the Ministry for Regional Development will prepare, should serve to determine the level of benefits.