Pedro Sánchez defends youth policies as a State policy: "We want to make housing the fifth pillar of the welfare State"

Elche (Alicante)

"Our priority is to work to dignify the lives of the social majority in our country. That is why we want to make housing the fifth pillar of the welfare state, to turn housing into a legitimate right and not a problem, especially for our young people", he stressed.

"We are at the right time, because we have the political will and the resources: We have the new Budgets and the European Funds", the President of the Government made it clear.

"We want to make housing the fifth pillar of the welfare State

Now we wish to make housing the fifth pillar of the welfare State, according to Pedro Sánchez, because "a society that is worthy and proud of its progress cannot allow many of its citizens to be without adequate housing". Thus, after recalling the right to decent and proper housing set out in article 47 of the Constitution, he defended "together with health, education, pensions and dependency, housing as the fifth pillar of the Welfare State".

"When we discuss housing, we think first and foremost about the youth", said the President. "Our priority is to work to dignify the lives of the social majority, and that is why we want to make housing the fifth pillar of the Welfare State", he reaffirmed.

Plan to support young people's access to housing

During his speech, Pedro Sanchez highlighted the measures approved by his government yesterday, such as the State Plan for Access to Housing 2022-2025, Youth Rental Vouchers, and the Law on the Quality of Architecture, and stressed that we will soon have "the first Housing Law of the Democracy".

A number of initiatives were outlined by the Chief Executive, such as the creation of a new "Young Rent Voucher" with a monthly amount of 250 euros for young people between 18 and 35 years of age with low income, a plan financed with 400 million Euro, over 2 years. "It is an important innovation in public policy because it empowers young people", he emphasised; they are the ones who determine how to use the resources that the Spanish State will be transferring to them directly.

The new State Plan for Access to Housing 2022-2025 highlights the provision for other direct aid for renting, as well as the possibility of private insurance coverage for young people and vulnerable families, to guarantee possible non-payment of housing rent up to one year.

The President of the Government also reported on the Affordable Rental Housing Plan, which will increase the public affordable housing stock by up to 100,000 homes, through two mechanisms: the Public Social Housing Stock and the Social Housing Fund.

In addition, he pointed out the tax incentives for renting to young people in stressed areas; that support will be extended to young people for access to home ownership in small municipalities or population centres, as a fundamental measure in the fight against depopulation; and direct aid for access to regular housing in cooperative or co-housing developments, aimed primarily at young people and the elderly.

And he defended the Law on the Quality of Architecture approved yesterday as "a tool to make urban planning and architecture an element of social and territorial cohesion".

Fair recovery, youth leadership

For the economic recovery process to be equitable, it must be led by our young people, according to Pedro Sánchez. In this respect, he defended the Labour Reform, to "create more jobs, and decent jobs", "a great social agreement built by the Government of Spain with the leading participation of the social partners", and "unprecedented in recent decades", which aims to put an end to two of the evils that affect young people in particular: precariousness and temporary employment.

"And the biggest rise in the history of the minimum wage, from 735 to 965 euros, which we will continue to increase to 60% of the average wage throughout this legislature", he added, "to reach our commitment, which is none other than that of the European Social Charter".

He also highlighted a policy that has increased scholarships to 2,000 million, "more than 40% since we have been in government", he said, the new Vocational Training Law to improve the employability of young people, referring also to the reform of the Universities Law and the new Education Law, already in force.

Non official translation