Catalonia Signs Off on €1,015 Million State Housing Plan Deal
Catalonia's government approved the €1,015 million State Housing Plan deal, which it says covers 20,300 renovations and aid for 121,800 young renters.
The Generalitat (the Catalan government) has approved the agreement with the Ministry of Housing that brings Catalonia €1,015 million from the State Housing Plan, Ara reported on Nov. 10. Salvador Illa’s cabinet presented the step as “a new activation of economic resources”, while acknowledging that what it approved is the signing of the agreement itself.
The announcement arrived less than 24 hours before a general strike that puts the housing crisis at the center. According to Ara, the Generalitat claims the money will pay to renovate 20,300 homes, promote or buy more than 9,000, and give rental aid to 121,800 young people.
Three lines of action
Sílvia Paneque, who is both government spokesperson and the minister responsible for housing, said the Generalitat will work in three areas, as the state plan lays out. It will increase the supply of housing, renovate existing homes and make access easier through aid, especially for young people.
The central numbers
- 20,300 homes to be renovated, backed by a pool of more than 304 million euros for rehabilitation.
- 3,825 rental properties to be promoted with 77.7 million euros, a sum that includes subsidies for public developers and projects attached to the 50,000 Plan.
- 3,070 apartments the Housing Agency of Catalonia wants to acquire, as part of 260.7 million euros set aside for purchases through the right of first refusal.
- 121,800 young people expected to receive rental aid.
- 67 additional professionals joining the Housing Agency of Catalonia.
Where the rest of the money goes
Another 37.6 million euros is planned for developments that also belong to the 50,000 Plan but are run by cooperatives and by organizations that promote social inclusion.
The purchase budget has a second part. Besides the 3,070 apartments for the agency, the Generalitat intends to create a new reinforcement line so that city councils and social organizations can carry out their own purchases. Almost 30 million euros is earmarked to bring in 100 homes whose owners hand them over to mediation pools and insertion programs.
More staff for the Housing Agency
The government also agreed that the Housing Agency of Catalonia will take on 67 more professionals. They will concentrate mainly on rehabilitation, maintenance and diagnosis of the public housing stock, on adding new properties to that stock and on the qualification of protected housing, known by its Catalan abbreviation HPO.
The agency currently manages more than 25,000 homes, which is 21% more than six years ago. In its statement, the executive said every new home brings permanent duties of allocation, management, maintenance and attention to tenants.
What this means for the housing debate
Ara notes that, like other recent housing announcements, this one comes with large figures. The totals are the Generalitat’s own claims about what the agreement will pay for, and the amounts listed for each action are spending plans rather than finished homes.
The timing places the announcement next to the general strike, which centers on the housing crisis. For renters and young people, the figure closest to daily life is the 121,800 who the government says will receive rental aid. For people waiting on public housing, the relevant numbers are the 3,825 rental properties and the more than 9,000 homes to be promoted or bought.
The approval covers the signing of the agreement with the Ministry of Housing, so the figures describe plans under that agreement.
Source: Ara
