The Young and Empty Housing Exchange program, managed by the Department of Social Welfare, Youth and Housing of the Canarian Government, facilitated accommodation for rent or ownership to a total of 1,914 young people from Lanzarote until June 30th.
Only in the capital municipality, in Arrecife, 314 young people rented a home managed by the Exchange staff and 592 bought their first home through the Youth Mortgage. Thus, loans have been granted to 1,453 young people, and a total of 145,942,260.90 euros has been mobilized in this period.
Inés Rojas, Minister of Housing of the Government of the Canary Islands, explains that since May 8, 2007, the date on which the first office of the Exchange was opened on the island, until June 30 of this year, this program facilitated rental accommodation to 461 young people and the purchase of a home to 1,453.
A sector with difficulties accessing housing
"With the new Canary Islands Housing Plan, the youth housing program is maintained, one of the sectors of the population with the greatest difficulties in accessing housing," says Rojas, who points out that the actions planned in the new Canary Islands Housing Plan increase by 86 percent compared to the previous plan.
"We maintain such an advantageous product so that our youth can buy their first home, such as the Canarian Youth Mortgage, with the addition that they can aspire to up to 12,000 euros for the down payment, and we promote renting by maintaining aid to both the tenant and the owner who wants to rent their home," explains the Minister.
According to Inés Rojas, the Government of the Canary Islands "is one of the few communities that mediates in the free market", despite only having competence in protected housing, something that has been done for more than 10 years, through the Young and Empty Housing Exchange.
This, in Rojas' opinion, has a double objective: on the one hand, "to continue protecting our territory" and, on the other, "to facilitate access to a home in decent conditions for all families."