In Spain, 6,293 officially protected homes (VPO) were built last year, less than a tenth of the 68,587 that were built in 2008. And of these, a minimum percentage were social housing, the so-called special regime VPO or social housing, which are reserved for families with incomes of less than 2.5 times the Iprem (1,500 euros per month). These apartments are rented for less than 300 euros per month and are the ones that would make it possible to meet the housing needs of people at risk of social exclusion: those who depend on a single mileurista income recipient, or on pensions or public aid, often doomed to live in “patera flats” or to illegal occupations.
And yet, there is land available: only in the metropolitan area of Barcelona there is land reserved to build 73,000 subsidized homes, says Marc Torrent, general director of the Associació de Promoters de Catalunya (APCE) and last year only 1,138 were built in all of Catalonia. With the change in the Catalan urban legislation, all those that can be done on public land would have to be rented, or at least temporarily assigned for use.
"The promotion of social housing has practically disappeared because there is no financing," laments Joan Clos, president of Asval, the Association of Rental Home Owners. The situation is especially serious for social housing for rent, "because there is no clear financial model," he adds. The public administrations want to recover something, but with very low rents, who is going to pay the difference? ”, He points out.
Building rental housing forces the administrations to immobilize funds, while if the VPO is sold they recover most of the investment, because the land is already public. "The three administrations, the State, town halls and communities, would have to commit to allocate their own funds to housing policy," says Clos, although he acknowledges that none of them has a buoyant financial situation. In the case of the municipalities, already over-indebted, they would have to obtain them with credits, and the commercial banks are very reluctant to finance them. "Structured financing programs are needed" warns Francisco Pérez, CEO of Culmia, who points out that Barcelona has been a pioneer with an agreement with the European Investment Bank. "Many more would have to be signed."
Culmia is one of the most active promoters in the construction of affordable housing in collaboration with public administrations. But to make social housing, on the other hand, "it is essential that the Administration act: either by making the houses directly or with subsidies for private developers", since the rents do not even cover the cost of construction.
"The private sector can make affordable housing, with rents starting at 450-600 euros per month, with formulas such as the transfer of land, as has been done in the Live in the Community of Madrid plan," says Pérez, where Culmia it is building 3,700 homes, 1,700 of which it will deliver already this year. Families with incomes of less than 5 times the Iprem (3,000 euros per month) can opt for these homes. These homes come out with rents between 20% and 30% lower than those on the market, which in the area of Madrid and Barcelona can be about 800 euros per month.
"If the Administration cedes the land for more than 60 years, and small apartments are built, but with good qualities (and gardens, common areas, swimming pool and coworking), a private promoter does get the numbers." The promoters hope to sell the developments, already leased, to pension funds or insurers "that have an interest in these long-term investments" and thus "close the circle" and recover their investment to undertake other works.
In very few cases, however, the administrations promote social housing. A problem that is not exclusive to Spain, and that in the United States has been included in the NIMBY phenomenon: "not in my back yard", that is, "not in my backyard". Which refers to a common idea among the residents of a neighborhood that any possible development that brings families at risk of exclusion should be done far from where they live.
"It is true that many councilors talk a lot about social housing, but then they do not want those neighbors in their town," acknowledges Clos, who recalls, however, that the Government has instruments to guarantee that the municipalities assume their social commitment, because they contribute 50% of the revenues of the consistories.
Marc Torrent, for his part, points out that in the case of large conurbations, such as Barcelona or Madrid, "there is a lack of a more shared governance model, where the decision is not made by each municipality, and a housing policy is designed with a vision overall. In free housing, citizens move from the capital to the entire metropolitan area. And in social housing, the capital does not fit all that is needed either ”.
