Helping people in housing distress will also be addressed by the labor offices, the amendment was signed by Pavel

Prague – The authorities will also address the issue of people threatened by housing insecurity, taking over some of the tasks from municipalities. The labor offices will, among other things, decide on applications for support measures. Advisory contact points for housing will be established in all 205 municipalities with extended competencies, 100 more than before. The changes will be introduced by an amendment to the housing support law, which was signed today by President Petr Pavel. The Castle informed about his signature.

According to the proposal, individuals without adequate housing will always include, for example, victims of domestic violence, those in the process of divorce, or people dissolving partnerships. A person will be considered without the ability to obtain adequate housing on their own if their income or the income of their household does not exceed twice the subsistence minimum. However, after paying housing costs, individuals must have at least half of the subsistence minimum left.

The labor offices will also maintain a record of apartments. If necessary, their staff will be able to check the housing situation of the applicant and household members. The transfer of some powers from municipalities to labor offices aims, according to the proponents of the amendments, to eliminate duplication of activities, reduce administration, and expedite procedures.

The government originally proposed in the amendment to target assistance only to individuals threatened by housing insecurity who have ties to the specific region. However, the Chamber of Deputies made overall adjustments to the proposal and removed this part. Anyone will have access to counseling, as the law currently stipulates.

The transfer of part of the assistance to labor offices was criticized in the Chamber of Deputies, particularly by opposition MPs from the Pirates and STAN parties. They expressed concern about potential overload and pointed out that municipalities had been preparing for the responsibilities mandated by the law passed in the previous electoral term and better understood the local environment. In contrast, the opposition Civic Democrats noted that the law brings only additional costs, but no new apartments.

In the Senate, the guarantees committee recommended rejecting the proposal, but the plenary did not agree with this suggestion and approved it. However, the upper chamber called on the government to ensure sufficient staff at labor offices for the new agenda. It should also secure funding for support measures that city districts and municipalities will now also be able to provide.

The housing support law, effective from January with a gradual roll-out, also introduces a voluntary guarantee system for private apartment owners, known as guaranteed housing, and financial contributions for municipalities that rent their apartments to people in housing distress. The former government argued, among other things, that the law is based on the experiences of dozens of functioning projects.