Tag: housing

Vienna – 1000 new municipal apartments

Mayor Michael Ludwig and City Councillor Gaal, responsible for housing. © C.Jobst/PID

The City of Vienna has announced to build 7 new municipal housing sites with 1,000 apartments in the coming years. “The effects of the pandemic are a particularly clear reminder of the importance of social housing policy for the well-being of the Viennese population”, as Mayor Michael Ludwig stated. Following the long and successful Viennese tradition of social and affordable housing, providing for more municipal housing is a guarantee for safe housing and high quality of life at affordable prices. The new buildings will be spread all over Vienna, the projects are to create a high-quality and affordable offer in attractive residential environments. The start of construction is planned for 2022.

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Athens – Shelter for 400 homeless

To protect the vulnerable group of homeless people in the corona pandemic, Athens has created a shelter with more than 400 beds. The three-buildings complex of seven floors was opened in April and is run by the City of Athens’ Reception and Solidarity Center. It offers accommodation in dormitories as immediate help and apartments for a longer stay, along with free meals and psychosocial support.

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Nantes – housing solidarity

Nantes Metropole and the département Loire-Atlantique have established a housing solidarity fund of more than €2 million to help people to pay the rent of their housing. The fund is available to people with low or less income because of the coronavirus crisis.

More information (in French) here, or watch the video here.

Contact: Nicolas Joffraud

Vienna – Protection for tenants

Evictions are prohibited in the private rental market in Vienna in the corona crisis. Anyone who has difficulty paying the rent between April and June due to the impact of the corona restrictions can repay the arrears until December. Eviction executions are postponed for three months on request of the tenant, to get time to find new housing. In Vienna, already 14,000 citizens sought help at “wohnservice wien”, the city´s competence center for all issues related to housing.

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Bordeaux – Support for the most vulnerable

Bordeaux is supporting the most vulnerable in several ways, including telephone support and emergency in-person support at designated locations, including food distribution.

The usual support networks are facing major challenges. Volunteers are often older people, who can no longer volunteer due to safety concerns, while the lockdown restrictions make distribution very complex. In addition, unsold food from supermarkets can no longer be collected and redistributed, as it is impossible to maintain appropriate levels of hygiene when sorting through produce.

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Brussels – Hotels for migrants

Two hotels in Brussels with a combined capacity of 220 spaces have been hosting migrants who do not have access to official or associative housing services. This was an initiative of the regional authorities in Brussels in an effort to help migrants during the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here

Contact: Geert de Roep and Antoine Umbrain

Ljubljana – Hostel for medical personnel

Ljubljana is offering empty and disinfected rooms in Hostel Celica, run by the Ljubljana Castle public institute, to be used by the University Medical Centre for the accommodation of their staff. The hostel is intended for workers who come to work at UKC Ljubljana from other towns, which means that they no longer need to drive back home every day and that their self-protective measures are made easier.

As public transportation has been temporarily cancelled, many medical workers find the drive to Ljubljana and back home to be very stressful and exhausting. Ljubljana has also opted to provide for all employees of nursing homes who cannot return home every day for various reasons. The nursing homes are now fitted with portable beds which the workers can use when they spend the night in Ljubljana.

Contact: Polona Novak

Barcelona – Rent moratorium

Barcelona has announced a moratorium on rents for properties managed by Barcelona Municipal Housing and Rehabilitation Institute (IMHAB), both housing and commercial premises. For three months, a total of 12,000 tenants will not have to pay for their accommodation or commercial premises. When rent collection resumes, tenants will make up for these months by paying slightly more rent each month until December.

In order to tackle this package of measures, the City Council has enabled an extraordinary item of €3.5 million in the municipal budget, which can be extended up to €5.5 million. Read more (in Catalan) here.

Contact: Marta Puchal