The fact that the federal government has provided support to the states as part of a housing package has not met with much response in Vienna so far - at least from the perspective of the Greens. Last year, the turquoise-green coalition initiated earmarked grants for state housing loans for the years 2024 to 2026. The Vienna Greens criticize that the city waited a year to draw the funds. They complain that almost all other federal states have already done so.

While all states except Carinthia have already applied for funds, it takes almost a year in Vienna for such an application to be initiated, party leader Judith Pühringer explained in a statement sent to the APA. For it was only today, Monday, that such an item was found on the agenda in the state government. "Vienna is moving at a snail's pace towards housing subsidies. And this in an environment where the construction economy in Vienna is languishing."

Current Inquiry Response: Subsidized Housing in Vienna Declines

While the city government is asleep, more and more Viennese are waiting for affordable housing, Pühringer noted: "There finally needs to be more speed in subsidized housing in Vienna." According to the Greens, a current inquiry response also proves that subsidized housing in Vienna is declining.

While an average of 6,868 units per year were built from 2013 to 2020, there were only 2,504 between 2021 and 2023. "The number of subsidized housing units has collapsed under the red-pink coalition. This leads to a shortage of affordable housing. At the same time, the Vienna state government fails to collect the funds from the federal housing package in a timely manner," also criticized Georg Prack, the housing spokesperson for the Vienna Greens.

The housing spokesperson for the Vienna People's Party, Peter Sittler, also stated: "The handling of the housing billion by the city of Vienna is - to put it mildly - more than inadequate." On the one hand, it took far too long for the first funds to be drawn, and on the other hand, the city is once again leaving out the issue of ownership, he complained. In Vienna, the entire contingent is used for the rental sector. Vienna is picking the "ideological cherries" here, Sittler noted.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.