As Nigeria’s population grow and the major cities become more crowded than ever, social housing has become an increasingly important issue for the Federal Governments to tackle.
A house is a basic need that shelters people and gives them comfort. It is a place where people strategise, plan their future, and train their offspring. It also serves as working and resting place. A house is a status booster and the notion of owning a house bestows confidence on its owners irrespective of class.
On a daily basis, the cities do witness an influx of people relocating with the aim of looking for greener pastures. Most of these migrants are without a plan of where to lay their head. Those already working are either earning too low to be able to afford the existing buildings or the developers are not planning at all for them. So there is a problem of housing deficits in the country.
With current statistics putting the deficits at over 20 million, social housing represents an antidote to Nigeria’s housing challenges.
Social housing gives people a home. It’s cheaper to rent than privately rented housing and usually provides a long-term tenancy, giving renters the chance to put down roots. Social landlords tend to be councils or housing associations.
The Nigeria National Housing Policy defines ‘Housing’ as the process of providing functional shelter in a proper setting in a neighborhood, supported by sustainable maintenance of the built environment for the day-to-day living and activities of individual and families within the communities.
The first essential role of the government in the attainment of affordable housing goals in any nation is for stable housing policy, presence of political will and proper implementation of sustainable housing policies.
With this implemented in the area of social housing for instance, it enables low income earners to have access to affordable houses.
Also, those with the most serious need are legally required to be given ‘reasonable preference’ in the allocation of housing scheme by the agencies in charge.
While the present efforts of the Federal Government in social housing is commendable, much more needs to be done. The Government did set up Family Homes Funds in 2017 and commenced operations in 2018. The Family Homes Funds is Sub-Sahara Africa’s largest housing fund focused on affordable homes for Nigerians on low income. It is a social housing initiative promoted by the Federal Government of Nigeria as part of its Social Intervention Programme with initial shareholding by the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority.
Family Homes Funds (FHFL) has a commitment to put 500,000 families in homes by 2024 and in the process, create 1,500,000 jobs. The Funds will deliver 40,000 homes by 2020 for instance, making good the essence of its creation. The fund, in just a year of existence, had about 4,000 homes currently at various stages of completion across five states of the federation.
As governments seek more cost-efficient ways to invest in affordable housing, it will be important that housing needs are met through a variety of strategies for people right across the affordability continuum. This will also be true for the community housing sector. Despite the trend towards the commercialisation of the sector, subsidies will still be required, and support from the government will still be necessary, even if direct housing provision ends.
The Government has three main roles in relation to provision of social housing: Helping to create the right conditions for a stable and sustainable housing market that supports economic growth and prosperity; Providing support for individuals and families to access housing, particularly the most vulnerable in society; and Setting minimum standards for the quality of new and existing homes and for how rented housing is managed.
Government must develop further innovation in the funding of new social housing and make public funding work harder to increase supply; Maintain pathways into affordable housing for social housing tenants; Make the private rented sector a more attractive housing option by improving standards; Improve tenancy regulations, ensure social housing stock is maintained to a good standard; and Improve the energy efficiency of all housing stock. In achieving the above, there is a need for formulation of adequate policies.
Hence the policies could be in form of: Developing reform proposals for social housing rent; tenant participation; local government engagement; the regulation and inspection of social housing and the housing functions of agencies in charge of residential estates development.
Government has no excuses for abdicating its duty of care for the low income earners in Nigeria. The controversial fuel subsidy can be eradicated and in its place should be social housing development. It will go a long way if the governments can declare state of emergency in housing provision in Nigeria and provide minimum of 500,000 houses every year as social housing for the poor in our major cities.
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