In the face of warnings from the “Social Housing Alliance”, Left Party leader Jan van Aken is calling for a rethink in housing policy in response to the shortage of around 550,000 affordable homes. The policy, he says, must now finally support non-profit builders, rather than greedy developers.
“It’s a catastrophic failure of politics and the market that there is a shortage of more than half a million homes across the country. The responsible SPD minister, Klara Geywitz, has only built castles in the air, but not a single affordable living space. Social Democrats must finally understand that the market does not get it right” van Aken criticized.
“Where developers are looking to make fat profits, social housing does not arise, but luxury apartments for Porsche drivers. That’s why we must now support non-profit builders. Cooperatives and municipal housing companies, we want to support with 20 billion euros per year, so that affordable living space can be built where it is needed” the Left Party leader said.
“As non-profit builders build for all of us, they need tax exemptions and public land. Municipalities must get a pre-emption right on all land and bring housing back into the public domain. We have no time to lose, as in many cities, rents are exploding, while the number of social housing units implodes” van Aken demanded.