The minister presented the policy axes of the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family at today’s meeting of the Social Cohesion and Family Committee of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE) Sophia Zacharakis. In particular, the minister presented the main axes, goals and actions of the National Demographic Plan as well as the Housing Policy.

With regard to Demographics, for the implementation of which 20 billion euros will be allocated until 2035, the minister announced 17 direct actions promoted by the ministry, including those that involve or directly concern municipalities, such as:

– The increase in funding of the “Neighborhood Babysitters” program by 100 million euros from the NSRF and its extension from the first quarter of 2025 to all municipalities.

– The participation of municipalities in the new “Increasing Nursery Places” program with a budget of 70 million euros for 20,000 new jobs in existing and new nurseries.

– The increase of the income criteria for vouchers as well as the extension of nursery school hours.

– The continuation of the operation and strengthening of the Community Centers of the municipalities, as they play an important role with their connection with OPECA.

– Favorable taxation of voluntary benefits – tax exemption for nursery school vouchers.

As far as Housing is concerned, Mrs. Zacharaki presented all the Housing Policy programs that are either ongoing or will be launched.

Special reference was made to the “Social Housing for the most vulnerable groups” program, with a budget of 1,642,628 euros from the Recovery Fund. The aim of the program is to address the housing foreclosure of vulnerable groups. Beneficiaries are vulnerable groups of the population threatened by / or experiencing homelessness.

The pilot project involves the renovation and integration of part of the dormant housing stock into an affordable rental housing scheme. It will take place in Athens with the renovation of 70 apartments, and the implementing body is the Municipal Development and Tourism Promotion Company of Athens. In Thessaloniki, 30 apartments will be renovated in collaboration with MATH SA, which will primarily come from the municipal and public housing stock. A Working Group has been set up, which is working on the program criteria. The aim is to extend a similar program to other municipalities that have municipal housing stock.

Regarding the Public Servant Housing program, Mrs. Zaharaki stated that a working group has been set up, with the aim of registering properties in municipalities and regions with a severe housing deficit (e.g. mountainous, semi-mountainous, border and island) for public housing employees (mainly teachers, medical-nursing staff, security forces and other seasonal staff). He also emphasized that there will be a focus on island municipalities and mountainous areas, mainly to cover the housing needs of teachers and nursing staff.

The minister noted that properties in municipalities and regions with a severe housing deficit have already been collected and registered in collaboration with EETAA. He said that this year the housing needs of teachers, doctors, etc. in 31 island municipalities they amount to 3,086. The greatest needs concern Santorini, where shelter is requested for 464 people, while the smallest are in Lixouri, namely 4.

The general secretary of KEDE Dimitris Kafantaris praised the effort of the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family stressing that the government has entered the heart of the problem for both Demographic and Housing. He noted that the KEDE in collaboration with the Institute of Local Self-Government already presented in Xanthi a study on the Demographics last week, which records by municipality the problems, perspectives and also the proposals of the self-government with the aim of reversing the course. At the same time, he underlined that the KEDE, with the Social Cohesion and Family Committee that it has set up with the participation of a specialized project group, monitors and studies the Demographic issue and submits the requests and proposals of the self-government in the context of cooperation with the ministry.

The chairman of the Social Cohesion and Family Committee, Spyros Konstandaras, mayor of Thermo, added that the Demographic will be a special thematic section at the annual conference of KEDE, November 7-9 in Rhodes, as it is one of the main issues that preoccupy the Local Government.