“The housing emergency is a humanitarian crisis that requires an urgent and compassionate response from all of us. We must join forces and work together to build a future in which every individual has a roof over their head and hope in their heart.” It is one of the aspects highlighted by regional councilor of the Democratic Party, Amalia Bruniduring the speech in the chamber in the debate on the approval of the ATERP financial statements.
In particular, Bruni expressed appreciation for the interinstitutional protocol signed on 8 March between the Calabria Region and ATERP, focused on preventing and combating gender violence and on women's housing autonomy.
“Calabria is on the front line – stated Bruni -. We would also like to see procedures activated to identify a general director and that the commissionership season be abandoned.”
Councilor Bruni highlighted the critical issues present in the ATERP financial statements, despite the auditor's favorable opinion on the correctness of the accounting results.
Among the critical issues indicated, “the constant difficulty in collecting rental payments for properties, most likely also due to the economic crisis due to the Covid 19 pandemic, given that the percentage of potential uncollectability of the same stands at the remarkable value of 96.81 %. Also relevant is the profile of harmful effects related to illegal employment or detention without title of housing which prevents legitimate reassignment and penalizes those entitled to leave to be new assignees”.
“We find ourselves faced with an urgent and imperative challenge which is that of the housing emergency, exacerbated by the economic crisis, which afflicts the weakest sections of our community”, states Bruni, citing some data: 836,00 public housing units for a total of 2,500,000 families but 650,000 families who applied and 90,000 empty unassigned homes.
“It is a moral and political duty to guarantee every individual the fundamental right to dignified and safe housing. And to do this, we must act with determination and compassion – he said, recalling the New National Plan for the Right to Housing drawn up by the Democratic Party -. The starting point is to invest again in public and social housing, moving from the choice of urban regeneration and a sustainable environment. We need to make sure new homes are affordable, inclusive and environmentally friendly. The creation of new homes is not only a necessity, but also an investment in the future of our community: we must break this cycle and offer people the opportunity to live in dignified and safe conditions, where they can thrive and contribute positively to our society ”.
“The construction of new homes – he continues – must be designed in such a way as to address the different needs of the weakest sections of our community: elderly people, single-parent families, people with disabilities, young couples, students, homeless people and everyone those who live in situations of economic precariousness. In many parts of the world, cohousing is implemented starting from public housing. It is our duty to ensure that the public residential rental system works effectively, fairly and transparently, while guaranteeing the fundamental right to housing for all citizens – concludes councilor Bruni -. We are therefore available for a serious discussion, not just numbers and budget approvals but an active presence on a topic that greatly concerns our region”.