Earlier this week, the Executive Council of Matosinhos announced that Mayor Luísa Salgueiro signed an agreement with Isabel Dias, President of the Institute of Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IHRU) that will provide 57 million euros for the next five years. These funds will be poured into projects which are expected to significantly improve the housing conditions in the area.
All residents of Matosinhos should have access to decent housing
The large investment plan was conceived with the aim of helping 1691 families (or 3824 people) who live in substandard conditions. These are low-income groups which do not have the means to pay higher rents in order to improve their living situation.
The five-year project will be multi-faceted and directed at finding solutions for housing problems in a comprehensive way. This means that although a large share of the money will go towards the renovation of existing housing stock, this will not be all. New residential municipal buildings will be built, plus families will also be given subsidies to rent places that are listed on the market.
The largest portion of the investment (or nearly 51 million euros) will be provided by the IHRU under the Program for Support to Accessible Housing. Of these, 23 million will be under the form of a grant, and the rest will be given as a soft loan.
Management over the agreement will be shared between the City Council and MatosinhosHabit, the municipal housing enterprise.
Created in 1998, MatosinhosHabit is an entity that employs experts from various fields who are in charge of finding solutions to the housing needs of the local residents while applying the policies of the municipal authorities. The enterprise is committed not only to providing adequate housing but also to solving the variety of social issues that arise when there is a lack of appropriate residence.
Source: TheMayor.EU
