Necessary to formulate a comprehensive state housing policy

Statement by the General Secretary of AKEL S.Stefanou after the meeting with the Minister of Interior

 

– We are elaborating further specific proposals such as changing the status of the Housing Finance Corporation

28 June 2023, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

I thank the Minister for responding to our request to have another meeting on the Housing issue. We have completed a two-month nation-wide campaign, during which we have presented our own proposals to interested parties, stakeholders and those affected by this complex and complicated issue called Housing, at a time when indeed the issue of housing is of very pressing concern to a significant section of society. Furthermore, we have formulated proposals in response to suggestions and concerns that we have heard [during the campaign].

It was a very constructive meeting. We discussed many specific issues relating to the need to formulate a comprehensive state housing policy, because the absence of such a policy ultimately acts as one of the reasons for making it more difficult for people to have access to housing, which is a fundamental human right.

We discussed the formation of an Agency that will develop the strategy, coordinate and monitor the implementation of housing policies, programmes and actions.

We particularly focused on the issue of the change in the status of the Housing Finance Corporation. In our view, the Agency, operating as a bank as it does today, cannot develop social housing policy in a satisfactory way. In our view, the status must be differentiated on the basis of experience in Europe, so that it can now function as an affordable housing finance agency and support the operation of the State Policy Agency.

We discussed issues of public-private partnerships that should be in place, as well as the incentives that should be given, the investments that should also be made so that a housing policy that enables small and medium-sized families, young couples and the vulnerable groups of the population who cannot have access to housing, to have access to it, can be developed rapidly.

As the Minister said, we agreed to be in touch. We are working further on elaborating specific proposals such as changing the status of the Housing Finance Corporation, and we will come back precisely to put forward AKEL’s proposals, in our attempt to be creative and helpful towards the goal of pursuing a comprehensive state policy.