Social associations warn

“The housing situation is dramatic!”

Innsbruck is affected by homelessness. Many people can no longer afford the rent, or can only afford it with difficulty.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

The Alliance against Poverty and Housing Shortage in Tyrol is putting pressure on affordable housing with a package of proposals. The demands are aimed at politicians at all levels. The current situation is certainly an indictment of poverty.

There is no solution to the absurdly expensive housing costs in Tyrol - but there are many. The Alliance against Poverty and Housing Shortages presents a package of 28 measures aimed at local politicians.

Wilfrid Pleger, Julia Schratz, Michael Hennermann (from left) present a package of measures for affordable housing.(Bild: Bündnis gegen Armut & Wohnungsnot – Tirol)

It is an indictment of Tyrol that women, for example, have to stay in violent relationships because they cannot afford the rent for their own apartment, says Julia Schratz, lilawohnt-GF, describing one aspect of the plight and emphasizing: "Action must be taken now! The situation in Tyrol is dramatic."

Action must be taken now! The situation in Tyrol is dramatic.

Julia Schratz, Geschäftsführerin von lilawohnt

The new guidelines for the allocation of municipal housing are to be welcomed; many stakeholders with expert knowledge have been brought on board. However, further implementation is needed, especially at federal and state level. The alliance has drawn up 28 measures, for example:

Some of the demands

• Focus on affordable rental housing in spatial planning and zoning policy. A paradigm shift is needed, home ownership is an illusory wish for many; we must also adapt to the spatial conditions in Tyrol.
• Rent subsidy from the first day. There is no reason why someone who moves from one Tyrolean municipality to another should no longer receive a subsidy.
• Increase housing cost regulation (minimum security)
• No speculation with subsidized housing
• Earmarking of housing subsidies
• High vacancy tax

Budget limits should be overcome instead of austerity measures
There are already good proposals in the state government's coalition agreement, but implementation is still awaited. For example, the municipalities must be made more responsible for implementing affordable housing.

Michael Hennermann (Verein für Obdachlose), Wilfrid Pleger (Lebenshilfe) and Julia Schratz (lilawohnt) emphasize that in order to get affordable housing off the ground, budget limits must also be overcome - austerity is the wrong way to go.