The government approved the law on housing support, which is meant to protect people at risk of housing distress

Prague - The government today approved a law on housing support, which aims to create systemic support for individuals at risk of housing distress. There are as many as 1.6 million such people in the Czech Republic. According to the Ministry for Regional Development, the law primarily focuses on families with children and the elderly, who are most at risk of losing their regular housing. This was reported by the Ministry for Regional Development (MMR). Alongside this, the government also approved an amendment proposed by Justice Minister Pavel Blažek (ODS), which will allow landlords easier eviction of problematic tenants.

One of the main goals of the law, according to MMR, is to gradually reduce the number of people in housing distress from the current 154,000. Two-thirds of them are families with children. "The housing support law targets assistance to families and individuals who, due to the impacts of many crises our country has faced in recent years, are increasingly struggling to maintain or even obtain housing," said Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL).

The government hopes the regulation will also save on costs associated with the housing crisis. According to them, these costs exceed four billion crowns annually from public budgets.

The law thus provides for the establishment of contact points in municipalities with extended powers, which will offer counseling aimed at preventing the loss of housing. A voluntary guarantee system for private apartment owners and financial contributions for municipalities that rent out their apartments to people in housing distress are also expected to be created, as well as housing assistance, which will help supported households maintain their housing while minimizing risks for owners and neighbors.

The mechanisms introduced by the law should, according to Jurečka, lead to a reduction in the number of children in shelters or seniors in dormitories. It is also expected to help children leaving institutional care or individuals with disabilities to find housing. "All these are groups that today end up, at best, in facilities whose operation costs us many times more than support for obtaining housing and subsequent habitation. In the worst case, these people end up on the streets, where the state then covers increased costs related to healthcare and emergency services," Jurečka added.

Today, while discussing the law, the government approved an amendment that according to Blažek will allow landlords easier eviction of problematic tenants through a so-called order for eviction. The aim is to shorten and primarily simplify court proceedings.

Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš (Pirates) emphasized that the law was prepared in cooperation with representatives of local governments and the non-profit sector. "The housing support law is a long-term systemic change that does not make sense to prepare for just one electoral term. For this reason, it was important for us to find common ground and gain as broad support as possible among different partners," noted Bartoš.

The proposed housing support law is part of the so-called Housing for Life reform promoted by the MMR, which aims, among other things, to ensure necessary investments in the construction and reconstruction of affordable rental apartments.