- Affordable Housing in India
- Chili is leading the affordable housing movement in South America
- How Estonia is managing major housing reform
- Affordable housing in Poland
- Homeless in Russia: Saving lives with the Night Bus
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Updated 26.04.18
Housing Futures: Various links - see below
Housing Futures is the online platform on housing strategies for cities around the globe. The following have been posted recently.
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The concept and importance of affordable housing takes on a whole different meaning in a country like India - the rough estimate research says that there is an extreme shortage of millions of housing units. Some estimates put the number at 20 million.
Add on top of this the huge migration to urban areas and it is clear that affordable housing is an important subject.
The Department of Rural Development concerns itself for affordable housing in rural areas, while the Department of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation is concerned with the urban areas.
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Chili is leading the affordable housing movement in South America
In recent years the provision of social and affordable housing in Chili has roared back to the forefront.
The history of affordable housing in Chili is long and quite interesting. The programmes in comparison to other countries in the region are actually larger and more defined then many would know.
Low income earners in the country do have more rights in regards to housing and that is a fundamental part of the policy that drives housing and urban development in Chili.
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How Estonia is managing major housing reform
Estonia started a major housing reform around 10 years ago. It is a good example for many Eastern European countries on how to build up a housing sector movement.
A large number of less advantaged people are actually owners of their dwellings. They live in condominiums organised into housing associations. Almost 60% of the total population in Estonia belongs to such an association.
Social rental housing in Estonia currently represents only about 1% of the total housing stock in the country and the rental sector is small. About 96% of the dwelling stock is currently in private ownership.
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Defining social housing in Poland is a challenge. Under the umbrella of social housing there is a mixture of low rent units owned by cities, rent regulated units owned by non-profits called TBS and a mixture of several other types of housing that are a bit difficult to explain for this article.
There are a few separate programs to help elderly and homeless and these often fit under the umbrella of social housing.
Access to affordable housing is a challenge in this 38 million EU member state and its government is trying to create more options.
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Homeless in Russia: Saving lives with the Night Bus
Every single night during the week, a special van goes to remote areas of the Russian city of Nochlezhka and makes stops to give out hot meals and clothes to the homeless and poor.
There are volunteers, including doctors who also attend and go out sometimes. The night bus also connects the homeless and offers of help.
Outside of food, clothes and medical help, the driver lets the homeless know where they might go to get some assistance on legal issues, paperwork and addiction.
In 2016, the night bus fed 6,361 people giving out over 37,000 hot meals.
