Government Wants its Housing Policy Focused on People

13 November 2017

“The New Generation of Housing Policies, by no longer focusing on the object – the ‘home’ – and reorienting itself towards the objective – universal access to adequate housing – has a reformulated mission,” a document presented by Secretary of State for Housing, Ana Pinho, during the first public session held at the National Civil Engineering Laboratory (LNEC) in Lisbon, reads.

“This document has not yet been finalised,” the minister stated, urging the public to contribute to the document’s elaboration during the process of public consultation. In addition to ensuring universal access to adequate housing, the new policy aims to “create conditions so that the rehabilitation of both urban and ex-urban properties becomes the rule, instead of the exception, becoming the predominant form of intervention.

The Head of the Housing Ministry listed four primary objectives, namely “responding to families living in a situation of severe housing shortage”, “guaranteeing access to housing for those whom the market does not reach”, “creating conditions for rehabilitation as the main form of intervention in buildings and urban development” and “promote social and territorial inclusion and housing opportunities.”

A “shared challenge” with citizens, Matos Fernandes says

“It is fundamental that national policies have a local configuration and the capacity and flexibility to adapt to the specific problems of both families and localities,” Environment Minister João Matos Fernandes said at the end of the first public session.

According to the Lusa news agency, the document “Toward a New Generation of Housing Policies” will undergo a “shared challenge” in its process of public consultation, which is a “fundamental part of the policy itself”. “We do not make policy, we make proposals,” Matos Fernandes stated, explaining that the new generation of policies will reflect the commitment of everyone who participates in the public consultation.

The next public consultations will take place in Évora (November 20), Faro (November 30) and Porto (December 4).

Original Story: Idealista

Photo: Joyce Huis / Unsplash

Translation: Richard Turner