Bologna seeks healthcare assets for affordable nurse housing

Bologna is exploring innovative ways to tackle its housing crisis, with Mayor Matteo Lepore announcing efforts to engage healthcare institutions in providing affordable housing for their staff. The city aims to leverage the "Fondazione per l'abitare" (Housing Foundation), established to connect property owners with those in need of housing, to address the approximately 15,000 vacant apartments in the city.

Lepore stated that new partners will soon join the foundation, with discussions underway to involve the healthcare sector. The goal is to create "virtuous rental" agreements, potentially offering capped-rent apartments to nurses and medical personnel. This initiative seeks to utilize the real estate assets of entities like the local health authority (Ausl) and the Sant'Orsola Polyclinic Foundation.

However, the city's administration, like the region, expressed strong criticism of the national "Piano casa" (Housing Plan). Deputy Mayor Emily Clancy described the plan as "dramatic" and "absolutely insufficient" in terms of funding. She highlighted that Bologna's municipal investment in public and social housing renovations over four years amounts to 20 million euros, significantly exceeding the 6.2 million euros allocated by the national plan for Bologna over five years. Bologna has already renovated 1,430 public housing units since 2022 and plans to address all historical vacancies by next spring, focusing on routine maintenance for the remaining 300 annual vacancies.

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Come Comune di Bologna, sottolinea Clancy, in questi quattro anni noi ne abbiamo spesi 20. Siamo proprio fuori scala rispetto alle necessità