Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah said Dec. 14 that all eligible applicants for rent subsidies in 2010 would receive financial assistance, as the restriction on the maximum number of subsidies approved per area has been lifted for this year.
Based on the ministry’s estimates, some 45,000 households are expected to benefit from the lifting of the quota. The move is estimated to cost the government an additional NT$1.95 billion (US$64 million).
Jiang said the measure is aimed at ensuring the right of low-income and disadvantaged families to affordable housing, adding that it is in line with the definition of public housing and with similar policies adopted in other advanced nations such as the United States.
The assistance program is part of an integrated residential subsidy plan adopted by the government in 2007 that also includes home purchase subsidies and subsidized loans for home renovations.
Under the program, qualified applicants who cannot afford to buy their own home can receive a rent subsidy of up to NT$3,600 per month for a maximum period of one year.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the number of applicants for the subsidy in 2010 has topped 54,000, far outstripping the predetermined total of 24,000, indicating that demand for such financial assistance has been on the rise daily. (SB)