At the General Assembly on March 18, jagvillhabostad.nu adopted a joint statement on the need for a social housing policy and a call to the Swedish government; what are you waiting for?
Housing market needs a social policy again
We need a social housing policy now. A policy where the focus shifts from simple market forces to everyone's right to a safe home, adapted to their own needs.
The government abolished the investment subsidy for rental apartments and student housing, which previously served as an instrument for increased housing construction with low housing costs. The Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning forecasts that housing construction will be halved in a situation where housing construction needs to increase by thousands to meet current and future housing shortages. The Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning describes that over 200 Swedish municipalities have a housing shortage. And according to the Swedish Students' Union, the majority of student cities lack a housing market for students that can offer safe housing at the start of their studies.
In the shadow of a slowdown in housing construction, the government is presenting proposals to make it easier to evict families with children. Forcing children into homelessness can never be the solution to any social problem. The real social problem is that too many children are already homeless today and are bearing the consequences of market experiments and a lack of housing policy.
In the rental market, rents are rising sharply, owners of condominiums are being forced to pay higher fees, and in single-family homes a significant share of income is spent on heating costs and electricity due to a fragile energy market.
The threat of market rents is still present and jagvillhabostad.nu will do everything in our power to counteract any tendency towards market rents. If market rents become a reality, millions of tenants will face shock rent increases and a loss of security. This is the opposite of a strong and safe society for all.
A social housing policy is also about not contributing to a maximum risk and loan ratio among young people or to fuel already imaginative housing prices. Therefore, jagvillhabostad.nu remains critical of the government's start-up loan report for young people and looks with confidence at other housing policy reforms for young people.
Right now, it's hard to see any bright spots in the housing market and the hopeless situation of young people in it. But with the right reforms, things can turn around. What is needed is an active government housing policy that uses financial tools and target-setting guidelines to help municipalities and construction companies eliminate the housing shortage. Government, what are you waiting for?
Stockholm, March 18, 2023
jagvillhabostad.nu
