Suwon City and LH to Use Rental Housing as 'Multi-Child Family Suwon Human Housing'
[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Sa Dong-young] Suwon City has decided to utilize LH (Korea Land & Housing Corporation) purchased rental housing as 'Multi-Child Family Suwon Human Housing.'
The city and LH signed a 'Business Agreement for Support of Multi-Child Family Suwon Human Housing' at the Suwon City Hall Situation Room on the 2nd, establishing a cooperative framework.
Under the agreement, the city will select candidates for occupancy of Suwon Human Housing among multi-child families with four or more children and provide support for rental deposits and rental fees. The rental deposit per housing unit is approximately 10 million won, and the monthly rental fee is around 420,000 won.
LH will supply purchased rental housing to multi-child families with four or more children as Suwon Human Housing, and manage and operate the facilities. The plan is to supply 8 units this year and 30 to 35 units annually from 2021 to 2025.
The 'Multi-Child Family Suwon Human Housing Support Project,' one of the city's housing welfare policies, is a rental housing program that provides free support to multi-child families facing difficulties in securing homes. Priority support will be given sequentially to households with four or more children without property (residing in Suwon for two or more years) whose monthly income is 100% or less of the average monthly income per household of urban workers in the previous year.
Starting with the first occupancy by a six-child family in November 2018, 5 households moved in 2018, 9 households in 2019, and 1 household moved in this May. To date, Multi-Child Family Suwon Human Housing has been provided to 15 households with five or more children.
The city has been pursuing the project with the goal of 'securing 200 Suwon Human Housing units,' but faced practical difficulties such as budget allocation issues. As of 2018, the number of households without property with four or more children was 188.
The city explored cooperative measures with LH to complete the multi-child housing support project early. In April, the city discussed with LH's Gyeonggi Regional Division the volume of vacant LH purchased rental housing available for rent to multi-child families, and in May agreed on specific agreement details.
Multi-Child Family Suwon Human Housing prioritizes households with many minor children, and when the number of children is the same, residents are selected in order of lowest income.
The rental period is 2 years, and re-contracts can be made up to 9 times, allowing residents to live for up to 20 years. The rental deposit and rental fees are covered by the city, and residents only need to pay management fees, allowing economically disadvantaged multi-child families to reduce their housing cost burden.
The city purchases first-floor units whenever possible so residents can live without worrying about noise between floors, and supports housing in areas desired by applicants while considering parents' workplaces and children's schools. The design of wallpaper, flooring, and other details are determined based on residents' opinions, and homes are repaired before occupancy.
Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young, who attended the agreement signing ceremony, told Kim Yo-seop, head of LH's Gyeonggi Regional Division, "Thanks to LH, the 'Multi-Child Family Suwon Human Housing' project has gained wings," adding, "We hope you will carefully select housing where multi-child families can live comfortably by utilizing LH's expertise."
He further emphasized, "In the era of local decentralization, basic local governments must become the primary actors in housing welfare policies," and "Housing welfare policies become more effective when created by basic local governments closest to citizens."
Kim Yo-seop, head of LH's Gyeonggi Regional Division, stated, "Housing welfare is LH's main mission, and thanks to Suwon City's pioneering efforts in housing welfare for multi-child families, LH was able to participate," and pledged, "We will do our best to realize housing welfare centered on people that befits 'Humanistic City Suwon.'"