135 Flemish municipalities are not building enough social housing, thirteen more than two years ago. This is evident from a progress test by the agency Wonen-Vlaanderen. The Flemish government does not provide any way to sanction municipalities that fail to meet their imposed targets.
Each municipality in Flanders has its own target for the number of social housing that must be added by 2025. In this way, Flanders wants to shorten the waiting list for social housing. Wonen-Vlaanderen carries out such a progress test every two years.
The figures show that 165 municipalities are following the imposed growth path for social rent. 127 municipalities are not following the growth path, but are making sufficient efforts to achieve their goals by 2025, according to the agency. Eight municipalities will not achieve their goal and are making insufficient efforts. The worst students (Alken, Alveringem, Ardooie, Berlare, Brakel, Evergem, Holsbeek and Kraainem) are asked to conclude a cooperation agreement with one or more social housing organisations.
Measures needed
According to the Association of Flemish Housing Companies (VVH), the waiting list of 180,000 families for social housing is longer than the total supply of rental homes. “Little work is being done on concrete measures,” says VVH director Gert Eyckmans. “We ask again for a joint long-term plan supported by political consensus at all levels of government.” The call from the VVH is almost a year old.
The VVH proposes measures and solutions to build more social housing faster and more quickly. For example, she wants municipalities to do more than the minimum goals imposed through the Binding Social Objective. For municipalities that do not fulfill their obligations, the association asks for a stick behind the door. “Make maximum use of public land for social housing and ensure that every private construction project is partly socially structured”, the VVH further notes.
framing
“The attention paid to fraud prevention by the media and Flemish Minister of Housing Matthias Diependaele (N-VA) is exaggerated,” says director Eyckmans. “It creates a framing of people in social housing who don’t really belong there, while it is more important to make the offer grow faster.”
It is time for Minister Diependaele to stop his hobby of depicting social tenants as fraudsters and profiteers and to focus on his task: the construction of social housing
Loss of affordable housing supply
Flemish member of parliament for Vooruit Maxim Veys believes that the social housing policy is failing. “A number of municipalities openly brush their feet against the objectives for social housing because they know they can do this with impunity,” Veys responds. “Minister Diependaele just lets things go. His policy not only demotivates the municipalities that do do their part, but also for the entire sector, which he gives a negative image.”
“It is time for the minister to stop his hobby of depicting social tenants as fraudsters and profiteers and to focus on his task: the construction of social housing”, Veys continues. “The minimal profits he makes in the field of fraud , do not weigh up at all against the gigantic losses he notes in terms of affordable housing supply.”
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