The number of social housing units being financed through the sale of passports has been doubled to 1,000 thanks to “optimisation of resources and better planning” the prime minister announced on Monday.

Joseph Muscat used a news conference at Castille to criticise the way Nationalist-led governments had failed to address the issue.

“We are intervening to address market failure, following the State’s abdication 15 years ago not to build more social housing units,” he said.

Dr Muscat noted that the addition would mean that in a few years’ time the number of social housing units available would reach 1,700, thanks to an additional 500 being constructed through the National Development Bank.

Read: €50 million from passports fund to be used for 500 social housing units

Meanwhile, 500 additional units would be constructed using €10 million from the sale of passports, bringing the overall budget to €60 million.

While no completion deadlines were given for these projects, the Prime Minister said that the additional units would address half of the existing waiting list of 3,200 applicants and increase the overall stock of social housing units in government’s possession by a third.

He insisted that no ODZ land would be taken up and that all units would meet the minimum standards.

Dr Muscat pointed out that thanks to detailed profiling of the applicants, the Housing Authority knew more accurately what was needed, such as the number of single-bedroom apartments.

Furthermore, more space was allocated to accommodation since parking spaces were being provided rather than having a garage for every unit.

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