Families with incomes of up to R$2,640 will have access to subsidized housing in Minha Casa, Minha Vida

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Families with a monthly income of up to R$ 2,640 will now have access to the so-called band 1 of the Minha Casa, Minha Vida housing program, which will be relaunched by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) under a new format and with the resumption of construction subsidized by the government.

The value means a 10% readjustment in relation to the limit of BRL 2,400 established during the administration of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who even renamed the program Casa Verde e Amarela in an attempt to establish a social brand.

Tier 1 includes low-income beneficiaries and allows access to subsidized housing, in which the government pays between 85% and 95% of the value of the home, or financed housing, in which the borrower has access to differentiated conditions, but is responsible for the payment of a larger amount.

The new value of R$ 2,640 is equivalent to two minimum wages, already considering the Lula government’s intention to readjust the national floor to R$ 1,320. Today, that amount is R$ 1,302 per month.

During the Bolsonaro government, band 1 was readjusted from BRL 1,800 to BRL 2,400. However, only financed hires succeeded, since the Budget’s resources to subsidize the construction of housing dwindled year after year.

The announcement of the resumption of the program under the seal that marked the PT administrations will be made by Lula at an event in the municipality of Santo Amaro, Bahia, this Tuesday (14).

This Monday (13), the Planalto Palace informed that the government’s goal is to hire 2 million new homes by 2026. Of this total, the intention is that up to 50% of the financed and subsidized units are intended for the public in the 1st bracket —that is, 1 million homes.

“Over the last four years, the population with this income range has been excluded from the program”, says Planalto in a note.

The Budget reserves R$ 9.5 billion for the FAR (Fundo de Arrendamento Residencial), which pays for the construction of subsidized housing for tier 1.

In addition to changes in the income range, the government is also preparing some improvements to avoid repeating errors diagnosed in the past.

According to interlocutors interviewed by Sheet, there will be a limit of 300 units per development, to avoid risks of precarious housing conditions. To curb any attempt to circumvent this ceiling, through the construction of sets side by side, a maximum number of hires per municipality will also be stipulated in each public notice, according to the number of inhabitants.

The total number of new hires in 2023 will depend on an agreement between the government and construction companies on the speed at which resources are committed — the first phase of spending, when there is a commitment to contract the work. If the Union can disburse this year only the portion of the works completed in 2023, the contracting capacity is greater.

However, instability in the program’s budget in recent years, with a series of stoppages and restarts, left construction companies on the defensive. Therefore, it is possible that the government sees the need to commit a greater volume of resources, ensuring future payment, but at the same time limiting hiring.

Another R$ 9.5 billion is reserved in the FGTS budget (Fund for the Guarantee of Severance of Service) to subsidize financing, according to the family’s income bracket. This portion has no impact on the Union’s accounts.

The new Minha Casa, Minha Vida will also include new types of social housing, such as rent, the possibility of purchasing second-hand urban housing and the inclusion of homeless families in the program.

“The developments will be closer to commerce, services and public equipment, and with better infrastructure in the surroundings”, says Planalto.

According to interlocutors interviewed by Sheet, the MP (provisional measure) that will promote the reformulation of the program is still being processed within the government, but will be edited soon. The text will provide for the modality of social leasing, but the regulation of the modality will still take about 90 days.

The idea is that the FAR pays for the construction of the houses, which will be given to the municipalities to be rented to families that fit the criteria.

This Tuesday, Lula will also announce the resumption of work on 5,562 housing units in five municipalities. In all, the federal government intends to continue or resume work on 186,700 homes across the country.

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