PRAGUE, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The Czech government on Wednesday approved a long-awaited bill on social housing to restrict "trading in poverty," said government spokesman Martin Ayrer.
Under the bill, municipalities would allocate social flats to people in need voluntarily and if they did not do so, the State Housing Development Fund would provide them.
People in housing destitution would be entitled to this aid. This would include those who have lived in hostels, institutions and asylum homes for half a year and those who spend more than 40 percent of their incomes on appropriate housing and have under 1.6 times the subsistence level left over.
The elderly, disabled, victims of crimes, and young people after leaving foster care would gain social flats without unnecessary delay. Extremely vulnerable groups would receive them indefinitely, while in other cases this right would be assessed again in two years.
Municipalities would secure social housing on a voluntary basis. If they joined the system, they would have to work out a plan of how many social flats would be needed and who would need them.
The bill will be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies for approval. If passed, the first applicants for social flats may start turning to municipal authorities as of mid-2018 and they should move into social flats by mid-2020 at the latest. Enditem
A single purchase
