Politicians see a need for reform in housing subsidies
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The discussion about a reform of housing subsidies is picking up speed again. The SPÖ calls for the reintroduction of a loan system, which the state government is already considering. Because this year too, far fewer subsidized apartments were built than planned.
High construction costs and the new framework conditions for loans mean that significantly fewer subsidized rental apartments are being built in Salzburg this year than desired by the state. Since the beginning of the year, there have been a total of 178 subsidized rental apartments from the state. This comes from a state parliament request from the SPÖ to the responsible housing councilor Andrea Klambauer (NEOS). However, the state’s declared goal is 750 subsidized rental apartments per year.
“Needs more space for subsidized housing”
Since the goals are likely to be missed again, the Salzburg SPÖ boss David Egger calls for a reform of housing subsidies. “When & we find a new loan model – away from one-off payments towards a functioning loan model. Point two is to find and acquire more space for subsidized rental housing, especially in the central urban areas, together with the municipalities and spatial planning. And point three is, as far as self-sufficiency is concerned, we need a lot more funding. You don’t just have to think of photovoltaic systems on roofs, but also on facades, carports and one or two parking spaces, for example,” argues Egger.
The government factions ÖVP, Greens and the departmental NEOS also see a simple need for action in housing subsidies. In concrete terms, it means that they want to put housing subsidies on a completely new footing and would also look at old models of housing subsidies.