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POLICY GUIDELINES ON ACCESS TO HOUSING FOR VULNERABLE GROUPS. STRUCTURE OF THE PRESENTATION. Definition Prerequisites for an effective housing policy for vulnerable groups Guidelines: - increasing the supply of decent and affordable rental housing
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STRUCTURE OF THE PRESENTATION • Definition • Prerequisites for an effective housing policy for vulnerable groups • Guidelines: - increasing the supply of decent and affordable rental housing - housing finance instruments for vulnerable groups, aimed at facilitating home ownership - effective use of housing allowances • Need for integrated policies and measures • Housing policy measures and their contribution to social cohesion
DEFINITION Vulnerability in the housing sector means that there are groups, persons and households who are in an inadequate housing situation, or are at high risk of becoming so.
PREREQUISITES FOR AN EFFECTIVE HOUSING POLICY FOR VULNERABLE GROUPS • Clear definition and integration with the national economic and social policies, upgrading the possible role of the housing sector • Effective governance, appropriate legal, financial and institutional base, providing balanced security for both the tenants and the landlords • Regular review of housing policies • Housing policies should be evidence-based
GUIDELINES ON INCREASING THE SUPPLY OF DECENT AND AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOUSING (1) • Programmes should be based on real need • Countries with a low-level rental sector (below 20%) should increase the (social rental) sector especially in urban areas • Important actors are the private and non-profit sector, provisions for a variety of models should be improved • Area and community-based programmes should be given more emphasis
GUIDELINES ON INCREASING THE SUPPLY OF DECENT AND AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOUSING (2) • Targeting mechanism • Shared responsibility • Tools: • Capital grants • Tax advantages • Interest rate subsidies • Mortgage guarantees
HOUSING FINANCE INSTRUMENTS FOR VULNERABLE GROUPS AIMED AT FACILITATING HOME OWNERSHIP (1) • If the rental and mortgage markets are not well established, housing finance instruments for vulnerable groups might be a solution • Focus should be on demand-side subsidies, with good targeting
HOUSING FINANCE INSTRUMENTS FOR VULNERABLE GROUPS AIMED AT FACILITATING HOME OWNERSHIP (2) • Tools: • Guarantees to improve access to credit • Housing allowances for home buyers • Capital grant schemes • Interest rate subsidies • Contract savings systems • Microfinance schemes • Shared ownership
GUIDELINES ON EFFECTIVE USE OF HOUSING ALLOWANCES (1) • Should improve access to decent and affordable housing and provide for safety net • More cost efficient than supply-side subsidies, but in cases of shortage of housing, a combination of these should be offered • Prerequisites: - Data on household income - Data on housing expenditure - Data on household composition - Regular updating of data; if none available, proxies or indicators
GUIDELINES ON EFFECTIVE USE OF HOUSING ALLOWANCES (2) • Elements of an effective housing allowance system: - Defining acceptable income levels after having paid all the housing expenditure - Amounts should be based on the needs of the target groups - Minimising poverty traps and other negative effects - Defining maximum eligible housing expenditures • Neutrality in tenures (unless otherwise reasonable) • Should be co-ordinated with social policy and transfer systems • Transparency, simplicity • Should not cover 100% of the housing expenditure
NEED FOR INTEGRATED POLICIES AND MEASURES • Housing policies for vulnerable groups should be designed and implemented taking into account general housing policies and those in related sectors, such as education, health, employment, transport, urban planning and social protection, and co-ordinate efforts of the relevant authorities and actors, including sufficient legal framework • Have to be developed for well-specified target groups • All governance levels should be engaged in the process in the framework of an efficient and transparent institutional structure • Representatives of the interests of vulnerable groups should be included in the process
HOUSING POLICY MEASURES AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIAL COHESION (1) • The objective of housing policies should be to ensure access to affordable housing with an adequate standard and to ensure the security of housing for all, and to enhance social cohesion • Strategies for promoting social cohesion should include housing policy measures which give special consideration to vulnerable groups • Crucial role of the welfare system and the connection to other public policies
HOUSING POLICY MEASURES AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIAL COHESION (2) • Special attention in policy design and implementation should be given to vulnerable groups • Policies should contribute to the formation of healthy and inclusive neighbourhoods • Measures counteracting discrimination should be implemented and monitored • Prior to implementation of policies, assessment/evaluation of the measure concerning consequences for social cohesion should be made • In order to measure social cohesion, appropriate indicators should be developed, statistical information should be collected on a regular basis, and research on this issue should be carried out.
