The Moncloa approves 119 million for the stressed areas in Catalonia in full pre-campaign

MadridHousing –the reason why the general elections in the State have been brought forward– is entering fully into the electoral pre-campaign of November 29th. This Monday it did so when the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced a sum of 45 million euros to expand the supply of university residence places throughout the State and promote affordable accommodation aimed at them. The goal is to try to give a breather to university students who have to do everything possible to, often unsuccessfully, find an apartment. Of this sum, 2.9 million euros will go to Catalonia, specifically for a project that the Lleida City Council is promoting, as detailed by the Ministry of Housing. In a first phase, still without a calendar, it is expected to mobilize 2,000 places.

But this Tuesday's Council of Ministers also gave the green light to a package of 180 million euros destined for those autonomous communities that have declared stressed zones, as provided for by the state housing law approved in 2021. Of this sum, the bulk goes to Catalonia, the territory with the most municipalities where the market has been declared stressed. In total, it will receive 119.4 million euros that will be distributed among the 271 stressed municipalities.

317 municipalities throughout the State

The granting of this budget item has been approved via royal decree so that it will not have to pass through Congress and will not need the endorsement of the Permanent Deputation. "The objective of this extra allocation of resources is to increase the supply of affordable housing to reduce rental prices in the 317 municipalities of the five autonomous communities that have declared zones of strained residential market," defended the Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez, at a press conference this Tuesday.

The idea is that, with this extra funding, the autonomous communities can develop measures in different areas. Among other measures, promoting and rehabilitating housing, acquiring buildable land for residential use, also urbanizing it, offering coverage in case of non-payment in some rental contracts or acquiring housing so that it can be offered as a housing alternative by the autonomous community, for example in cases of economic vulnerability.