Helping people live in appropriate housing without worries is one of the government's most important policies, Premier Jiang Yi-huah remarked today after listening to the Ministry of the Interior's (MOI) briefing on the implementation of housing policies.
Jiang said that the practice of measures such as rental subsidies, interest subsidies for repair and maintenance of recently purchased homes, leasing services, and making real estate transaction information publicly accessible as well as the establishment of the affordable housing and social housing systems are crucial for carrying out the government's housing policies. In addition, Jiang continued, loans and the tax system are also relevant to housing policies. He instructed the MOI to coordinate ministries' and local governments' administration of these policies in order to safeguard citizens' rights to adequate housing.
Furthermore, Jiang pointed out, society is always concerned with the disadvantaged and younger generations' housing needs, and the government also considers them important responsibilities. He requested the MOI and all city and county governments to promote social and affordable housing and suggested the MOI keep an eye on the housing needs of the aforementioned two groups and check the results of related plans and local governments' programs with rolling reviews.
As for the suggestions proposed by ministries and local governments' representatives, the premier instructed the MOI to include them as case references and indicated that the Executive Yuan will adjust future housing polices in a timely and comprehensive manner in tandem with other measures. Implementing housing policies requires determination and cautious planning, he emphasized.
According to the MOI, local governments estimate that there is demand for 92,000 social housing units nationwide, more than half of them in Taipei and New Taipei City. However, there are currently only around 6,800 such units in the entire country. The government is planning to quintuple that number to 34,000 within the next 10 years while subsidizing rent for another 50,000 households as well as 15,000 households with at least one physically disabled person. Added together, these measures would help fulfill the target of supplying 100,000 social housing units by 2023. Furthermore, the ministry will assess the issue of youth housing and launch a rental housing project for young adults.
Meanwhile, to implement the medium- and long-term social housing project approved by the Executive Yuan in 2014, the MOI will subsidize local government for the construction of such residences, with priority given to renovation of existing idle buildings. The investment and participation of the private sector in urban renewal and discussion of lot sizes is also welcome in order to push this effort forward. In the future, the government wishes to implement housing policies with critical thinking and a diversity of strategies to meet demand.