The Azorean parliament approved in the city of Horta today the diploma that establishes the housing support scheme through leasing in the Azores.
Titled as “Families with Future” (Famílias com Futuro), this programme, proposed by the Azorean government, is exclusively addressed at citizens with permanent residence in the Azores for at least three years.
With this legislative initiative, the Government aims to solve situations of severe housing shortage by renting buildings or condominium units, acquired or built by the Region, or by subleasing buildings and condominium units previously rented by the Region in the real estate market.
The incentive to lease buildings or condominium units for permanent residence by allocating a monthly subsidy to tenants is another goal of the diploma.
Under the regional legislative decree, the financial support to building and condominium unit lease for permanent residence is awarded through a non- reimbursable monthly subsidy to the households that meet the access conditions envisaged in the diploma for a one-year period, which may be extended for another period up to a maximum of four consecutive renewals.
The diploma also determines that the monthly subsidy will correspond to a percentage of the lease amount and the financial support model including the levels, percentages and increases will be stipulated in a future regulation.
During the presentation of the diploma, the Regional Secretary for Labour and Social Solidarity mentioned that this strategic document, created to solve situations of severe shortage, “embodies the implementation of a housing policy through leasing, thus ensuring the access of the all Azoreans to housing.”
For Ana Paula Marques, this governmental initiative also provides “an adequate answer” to the housing shortages of specific groups, such as the elderly, disabled, households that include children aged up to ten years, youngsters searching for a first house and families with the means to access the private real estate market.
With the approval of this diploma, we “have taken concrete and defined steps today in order to expand the opportunities to support citizens, particularly those who need the government’s help to achieve full citizenship,” concluded the Regional Secretary.