Finnish Housing Policy and Role of the State
Current trends in housing policy:
• Polarization in housing market
• Housing shortages and high housing costs in growth centers
• Oversupply of housing in regions with shrinking population
• High home ownership rate (2/3), rental housing increasing
• Role of the state complimentary
• Compliments the market operation when the market-based mechanisms don’t work in a sufficient way and provide adequate housing policy solutions to satisfy different housing needs
• Municipalities have a key role in housing
• Agreements between state and municipalities on land use, housing and transport (MAL-agreements)
Housing for the special groups:
• Special measures in housing provision are needed due to low income, living circumstances or special needs, such as functional disabilities.
• Recognized groups: e.g. older people with poor functional capacity and/or memory diseases, physically disabled people, persons with intellectual disability, homeless, students-special arrangements are needed in housing: e.g. service housing or supported housing
• State grants with interest subsidy loan for the housing projects
• Government programmes, information guidance, R&D projects etc.
• Networking, co-operation with local governments and now also wellbeing services counties which are responsible for the provision of social and health services.
Conclusion:
• ARA has information on state subsidized housing (buildings and dwellings) and municipalities have information in their areas. ARA inquires annually the information from municipalities on the use of state subsidized housing stock.
• ARA grants finance based on the applications of municipal housing policy companies and limited liability companies eligible to produce state subsidized housing. Local authorities recommendation is needed for the housing projects.
• The number of rental housing applications in the area concerned gives information on the needs; also population forecasts, immigration and internal migration data are important.
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