Resumption of Minha Casa, Minha Vida is seen as an opportunity to reduce the housing deficit

The resumption of the Minha Casa Minha Vida Program by the federal government encouraged both the public and the private sectors due to the possibility of reducing the housing deficit in the country and also due to the fact that it serves mainly low-income families. A survey by the National Federation of Architects and Urban Planners (FNA) points out that six million people in Brazil need housing. In Rio Grande do Sul, according to the State Department of Housing and Land Regularization, at least three thousand people are waiting for their own homes.

Secretary Fabrício Guazzelli Peruchin points out that 267 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul have already made requests for the construction of housing for low-income families. “The projects have already been approved and we are waiting for financial resources from the federal government. With the money released, we will start building housing for low-income families”, he points out. In Porto Alegre, the municipal secretary of Housing and Land Regularization, André Machado, says that the city is being prepared so that it can be enrolled in housing projects as soon as the rules are known. Machado said that the Executive’s project is ready to be sent to the City Council for the creation of the social lease program. The initiative will be called “Lighter Rent”. “Any possibility of financing that allows serving low-income families in particular fills us with expectations and responsibility”, he adds.

The president of the FNA, Andréa dos Santos, highlights three points in the resumption of the program by the Lula government, which is to serve the most vulnerable population in the country that has no housing and the need to guarantee the resources for social housing in the Union budget. The third point deals with the reduction of the housing deficit that affects six million people. “The resumption of Minha Casa, Minha Vida is an unquestionable victory for people who live in a situation of social vulnerability”, she emphasizes. Andréa Santos also defended housing closer to public facilities such as health centers, hospitals and transport. According to her, the program should also prioritize the urban voids (public and private buildings) located in the Historic Center of the cities.

According to Andréa dos Santos, architects and urban planners have always defended the need to look at Minha Casa, Minha Vida projects as agents of urbanism. “Constructing buildings in remote areas is not going to contribute to the good of Brazilian cities, nor to guaranteeing the right to the city”, he explains”. to allow greater inclusion and better use of spaces already built and occupation of empty buildings in large urban centers.

The new program returns with Range 1, which is now aimed at families with incomes of up to R$2,640. Previously, the required income was R$ 1,800. In the last four years, the population with this income range was excluded from the program. The idea is that up to 50% of the financed and subsidized units are intended for this public. The subsidy offered to families in this income range ranges from 85% to 95%. Another novelty is that the program will benefit homeless families. There will also be the possibility of social leasing.

The Brazilian Association of Real Estate Developers (Abrainc) considers it important to return to track 1 of the program. After the resumption of the halted works on lane 1, the entity hopes that the other lanes of the program can receive new incentives, thus expanding the contracting of new projects and also encouraging the generation of jobs and income for the population. The president of Abrainc, Luiz França, says that the sector should continue to perform well this year, generating jobs and helping many Brazilians to realize their dream of home ownership. “The return of the Minha Casa, Minha Vida program plays a fundamental role in this scenario, as it expands the access of the most needy families to housing”, he highlights.