Suwon City and LH to Utilize Rental Housing as 'Multi-child Family Suwon Human Housing'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Sa Dong-young] Suwon City has decided to work with LH (Korea Land and Housing Corporation) to utilize LH purchased rental housing as 'Multi-child Family Suwon Human Housing.'

The city and LH signed a 'Memorandum of Understanding for Multi-child Family Suwon Human Housing Support' at the Suwon City Hall Situation Room on the 2nd, establishing a cooperation framework.

According to the MOU, the city will select residents eligible for Suwon Human Housing from multi-child families with four or more children and provide support for rental deposits and rental fees. The rental deposit per housing unit is approximately 10 million won, and the monthly rental fee is approximately 420,000 won.

LH will supply purchased rental housing as Suwon Human Housing to multi-child families with four or more children and manage and operate the facilities. The plan is to supply 8 units this year and 30-35 units annually from 2021 to 2025.

The 'Multi-child Suwon Human Housing Support Project,' one of the city's housing welfare policies, is a rental housing provided free of charge to multi-child families facing difficulties in securing housing. It is provided sequentially to households with four or more children who are non-homeowners (residing in Suwon for 2 years or more) with income of 100% or less of the average monthly income per urban worker household from the previous year.

Beginning in November 2018 when a family with six children moved in for the first time, 5 households moved in in 2018, 9 households in 2019, and 1 household moved in in May this year. To date, multi-child Suwon Human Housing has been provided to 15 households with five or more children.

The city is pursuing the project with the goal of 'securing 200 Suwon Human Housing units,' but faced practical difficulties such as budget constraints. As of 2018, there are 188 non-homeowner households with four or more children.

The city explored cooperation methods with LH to complete the multi-child human housing support project early. In April, the city discussed with LH Gyeonggi Regional Headquarters the volume of vacant LH purchased rental housing that could be rented to multi-child families, and in May, specific MOU details were discussed.

Multi-child Suwon Human Housing prioritizes households with more minor children, and if the number of children is the same, residents are selected in order of lower income.

The rental period is 2 years, and can be renewed up to 9 times, allowing residents to stay for up to 20 years. The city supports rental deposits and rental fees, and residents only need to pay management fees, which reduces the housing cost burden for economically disadvantaged multi-child families.

The city purchases first floors when possible so residents do not have to worry about noise between floors, and provides housing in areas desired by residents considering parents' workplaces and children's schools. Based on residents' opinions, designs for wallpaper and flooring are determined, and homes are repaired before move-in.

Mayor Yom Tae-young, who attended the MOU signing ceremony, told Kim Yo-seop, Director of LH Gyeonggi Regional Headquarters, "Thanks to LH, the 'Multi-child Suwon Human Housing' project has taken flight," and requested, "Please carefully select housing where multi-child families can live comfortably by utilizing LH's expertise."

He further emphasized, "In the era of decentralization, basic local governments must be the subject of housing welfare policies," and "Housing welfare policies become more effective when created by basic local governments that are closest to citizens."

Kim Yo-seop, Director of LH Gyeonggi Regional Headquarters, stated, "LH's main business is housing welfare, and thanks to Suwon City's leading efforts in the housing welfare project for multi-child families, LH was able to participate," and "We will do our best to realize housing welfare centered on people befitting 'Humane City Suwon.'"