Taiwan minister defends housing plan amid criticism of reduced social housing target

Housing advocacy groups have voiced strong criticism against the Taiwanese government's revised housing plan, alleging a significant reduction in the social housing target. Organizations like the Social Housing Promotion Alliance and OURs Urban Reformation Organization claim that President Lai Ching-te's pre-election promise of 130,000 social housing units has been scaled back to 30,000 in the administration's updated "Million Renting Households Plan."

Interior Minister Liu Shih-fang responded to these criticisms, calling the accusation of a "broken promise" a "cheap" form of critique. She reiterated that the overall goal of supporting one million renting households remains intact. Liu explained that the government is incorporating rent subsidies and master leasing programs alongside new construction to address the diverse housing needs of the population. She stressed that building new housing is a complex and time-consuming process, with new social housing projects averaging five years to complete.

Liu further clarified that the "Million Renting Households Plan" is not solely focused on constructing new social housing units. The government aims to provide accessible and immediate housing solutions, including financial assistance through rent subsidies for those struggling with high rents in desirable locations. She highlighted that the government has already exceeded its target of supporting 40% of vulnerable populations, with 52% of rent subsidy recipients being economically disadvantaged families who report high satisfaction levels.

The minister pointed out that the original plan envisioned central and local governments sharing the responsibility for building 130,000 units. However, she noted disparities in local government progress, with some cities like New Taipei City making significant strides while others, such as Taoyuan City, have shown no progress in constructing social housing. Liu assured that the central government is committed to overcoming these challenges, including leveraging urban planning initiatives that require developers to allocate a percentage of land for social housing projects.