Having a place to live is a fundamental human right and an integral part of social justice, Premier Lin Chuan said at a Cabinet meeting today.
The government will build 200,000 social housing units within eight years for disadvantaged groups and young people just starting work, the premier said after hearing a report by the Ministry of the Interior. The initiative, to be achieved through a variety of measures, is in line with President Tsai Ing-wen's social housing policy, which includes making homes available for rent rather than sale.
The ministry said a major task under the policy is to help local governments acquire land, which will be achieved by amending the Housing Act, having local governments and land authorities jointly develop social housing projects, and repurposing military barracks and old military dependents' villages.
Other major tasks include setting up a social housing financing service platform; encouraging private homeowners to let the government manage their rental units; making state-owned land available to local governments for long-term rentals; amending urban planning laws; establishing a central-level social housing agency; strengthening partnerships between central and local governments; promoting and marketing the housing policy; establishing a social welfare service delivery mechanism; and drafting operating guidelines on social housing construction.