Public Housing Sweden in town
Housing Europe's office - a hub for knowledge exchange
Brussels, 27 February 2023 | The future of the EU & Housing
Public Housing Sweden - a Housing Europe member with municipality-owned public housing companies - visited our office in Brussels together with a delegation of members of the national parliament.
The Housing Europe team shared an overview of the EU, its structures, and how it influences member states' legislation. Recent legislative developments, member financing, trends, and statistics from our research observatory were also covered.
Our Swedish colleagues also got to meet Sara van den Eynde from our Brussels member, SLRB who shared her knowledge on social housing developments in the European capital. SLRB manages over 40,000 dwellings across the 19 communes of the city and has special admission criteria, considering the calculation of rent costs, and the conditions for the duration of the rental contract.
To create a more vivid image, Sara compared the Belgian social housing system to an elevator: by providing vulnerable people with affordable housing and social assistance, the hope is to improve their living conditions and make them more independent. This is reflected in the duration of the lease contract. Tenants that do not fulfill the requirements anymore are not evicted and have time to adjust to the new situation. There is also a "buffer zone", meaning that if their income exceeds the maximum threshold below a certain percentage, they remain eligible.
This exchange is part of a series of meet-ups that we have been organising with the Housing Europe network, allowing us to have a deeper understanding of the work on the ground and for members and their networks to catch up with the latest developments at EU level. If you would like to schedule one, please contact our Membership and Events Coordinator, Abderrahim Khairi.
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