Social housing waiting lists in Flanders getting (much) longer: greens sound the alarm
Last year saw almost 154,000 people on a council housing list, almost 20,000 more than the year before that. The figures could have an impact on the Flemish government talks.
The social housing shortage is not new in Flanders, but the latest figures - supplied by the Flemish Organisation for Social Housing and released by the green party - still come as a small surprise. Last year saw a 15 percent hike of people waiting to get a cheap(er) property, as real estate prices on the Flemish market keep on booming.
The news comes as negotiations for the Flemish policy statement are underway. Taking part in the new coalition are the Flemish nationalist, liberals and Christian democrats, a centre-right government. "I hope negotiators are taking these figures seriously", says An Moerenhout of the Flemish greens.
She is concerned that the new government will not do enough. In the first text which serves as the basis of the talks, N-VA supremo Bart De Wever writes he wants to tackle the problem by focusing on renovations. However, others say that new homes need to be built to solve the problem.