Let housing take root! Help pass the bill for housing support with your signature

Addressees of the appeal:

Prof. PhDr. Petr Fiala, Ph.D., LL.M., prime minister of Czechia, chair of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS)
Ing. Markéta Pekarová Adamová, president of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament, chair of the party TOP 09
PhDr. Ivan Bartoš, Ph.D., deputy prime minister for digitalization, chair of the Pirate Party
Ing. Marian Jurečka, deputy prime minister, chair of the Christian Democratic Party (KDU-ČSL)
Mgr. Bc. Vít Rakušan, first deputy prime minister, chair of the Mayors and Independents Party (STAN)

Prague, May 21, 2024

Dear prime minister, dear chairs of the coalition parties,

We appeal to you in the name of over 50 non-governmental and non-profit organizations, academics, and representatives of municipal and local governments participating in the “For Housing” initiative, along with other persons who are aware of the seriousness of the problem of housing insecurity. We have a justified interest in redressing the legislative deficiency of Czechia regarding accessible housing, particularly for those of us most threatened. As you have stated yourselves in the preamble to your program statement: “The measure of a society and state is in how it takes care for its most vulnerable members.”

As of May 15, 2024, the Cabinet received the draft of a bill for housing support, which represents the first long-awaited systematic legislative support for up to 161,000 people, 62,000 of them children, in Czechia who are currently facing housing insecurity, along with another one million people – one-tenth of the national population – for whom housing insecurity is an immediate threat.

The regular process of legislative approval for a new bill takes on average over one year. However, the term of office of the current government ends in September 2025, to which it is necessary to add two parliamentary holidays. The bill improving housing accessibility for vulnerable social groups has been supported by several governments before the present one yet has never succeeded in passing.

Faced with growing housing insecurity, energy poverty, and the impact of inflation, we ask that you manage to succeed where the previous government did not and bring this law responsibly to its passing, approving it by the Cabinet as quickly as possible and moving it forward to Parliament.

It is essential that this bill be approved by the government as quickly as possible, so that it could have the chance to pass through the first reading in the Chamber of Deputies no later than its last session before the parliamentary holidays. Each week of delay increases the risk that the law will fail to pass by the end of the electoral period.

Full text of the appeal

The absence of legislation has long been stressed by the European Commission, as well as the Czech Constitutional Court in its ruling from May 2023.

The legislation has been prepared and discussed in detail with most of the key actors involving municipalities, regional governments, social service providers and social policy experts. All that remains is for the bill to pass through the legislative process. And it is at this point that we now face the greatest fears.

The legislation works with the implementation of well-tested and proven implements that have been shown to function not only internationally, but in many Czech towns. In passing, we could mention České Budějovice, Plzeň, or Most, yet various individual implements are now already in active use in several dozen municipalities. The majority of these projects, however, are currently dependent on financing from the European Union and, without legislative support from the Czech side, will be forced to end.

We are highly aware of the government’s understandable efforts toward budgetary responsibility. With this in mind, it is well worth stressing that conditional on the passing of this law by the end of the electoral period is the sum of 9.6 billion crowns from the National Recovery Plan, stipulating that these funds will be reduced at the moment when this housing reform fails to take place in Czechia.

At present, the costs associated with housing insecurity represent, at the most conservative estimates, a burden to the public budget of 4 billion crowns per year. Implementing the housing support law is thus, in our view, a vital investment in the future – not to speak of the uncounted costs of housing security, such as children’s educational attainment, domestic violence, quality of life, crime rates, workforce participation, additions, stigmatization and social cohesion, or the quality of public space. As we see it, these are costs that no modern state, if it is concerned about social cohesion and preservation of the democratic order, can ignore.

In this context, we would also like to respond to the argument regarding the creation of new civil-service posts. What the current legislation introduces, in our opinion, is in no way a new weight of bureaucracy but a necessary network, extremely moderate in number, of advisors, social workers, and similar experts providing direct support in assisting and guaranteeing housing, which is now lacking on the municipal level.

In the event that the law will not be passed, we will continue to witness a social situation of deepening impoverishment, where tens of thousands of children will be forced to grow up in completely unsuitable conditions, with a highly negative impact on their health, education, and future life opportunities.

It is therefore essential that this bill be approved by the government as quickly as possible, so that it could have the chance to pass through the first reading in the Chamber of Deputies no later than its last session before the parliamentary holidays. Each week of delay increases the risk that the law will fail to pass by the end of the electoral period.

We additionally call upon you, Mr Prime Minister, to meet for joint negotiations, so that we can communicate to you the seriousness of the situation and discuss in person what, in your view, is preventing the approval of this long-awaited and socially beneficial legislation. We appeal to you not only as prime minister but also as party chair of the Civic Democrats (ODS), which is at present the only coalition party that publicly stands in opposition to the law.

Our thanks for your willingness to listen, and relying on your social responsibility,

The For Housing Initiative,

with the support of the Czech Chamber of Architects, additional experts, and others with an interest in ending housing insecurity

Contact person for the For Housing initiative:

Mikoláš Opletal
Mikolas.opletal@socialnibydleni.org

Sign the appeal