On November 22, the government was criticized by a civil group for its performance on housing policy. In response, the Ministry of the Interior indicated that all the proposals made by the group including generational housing, green building, and innovation campus have all been implemented by the government and are now longer just on the drawing board. Construction of social housing is also expected to surpass the phase 1 target of 40,000 units by the end of 2020. Other types of social housing for police, firefighters and young entrepreneurs will begin work once housing supply stabilizes. The government is therefore confident of meeting its promise of building 200,000 social housing units over 8 years.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, 200,000 social housing units over 8 years will consist of 120,000 new builds and 80,000 units sub-let through the government. More than 40,000 units will be built by the end of 2020 to meet the phase 1 target. Some of the social housing sites also incorporate social welfare, long-term care and young entrepreneur spaces to provide an environment that supports generational housing. Jiankang Public Housing in Taipei City, the Sanxia-NTPU Youth Social Housing in New Taipei City, Ankang Coliving Social Housing in Fengyuan District, Taichung City, and the Fengshan Social Housing in Kaohsiung City are all examples of completed projects.
In terms of sub-letting, more than 5,000 families have received assistance with finding a stable place to live. The program was expanded from the 6 municipalities to a further 12 counties/cities this year. A total of 20,000 units will be made available through a "Local Government System" and "Industry Association System."
To look after the needs of young renters, the existing rental subsidy for over 65,000 households has been expanded to include rental subsidies for 24,000 singles or married couples. The number of households eligible for the rental subsidy program will be doubled next year to 120,000 households as well. Income and household registration requirements will also be relaxed to make them easier for renters to apply for.
The Ministry of the Interior noted that the Rental Housing Market Development and Regulation Act came into effect on June 27, 2018, to foster a sound rental market. Applications have now been received for the opening of 741 rental service agencies. Amendments that will make actual price registration more timely, more accurate and more transparency have also been submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review. The amendment changing the party responsible for reporting to both the buyer and seller was also passed in July this year.
The Ministry of the Interior emphasized the importance of social housing as a national policy that has a direct effect on the quality and security of housing. Housing policies such as "eliminating property speculation", "ensuring a sound rental market" and "provision of 200,000 social housing units" are all being progressively implemented. The government will protect the housing needs of the young and disadvantaged to ensure housing justice.