Deputies ask to increase funding for the project to resettle emergency housing

The Duma Committee on Construction and Housing and Public Utilities requests when preparing the draft federal budget for 2024–2026. For the second reading, consider increasing funding for the federal project “Ensuring a sustainable reduction of uninhabitable housing stock” (part of the national project “Housing and Urban Environment”). This is stated in the official conclusion of the committee on the draft budget.

The federal project “Ensuring a sustainable reduction of unsuitable housing stock” was launched in 2018 in 82 regions: measures to resettle citizens are carried out on the territory of those subjects where there is emergency housing stock, with the exception of Moscow, where there is no emergency housing stock, and federal cities meaning – St. Petersburg and Sevastopol, relocating emergency housing stock at their own expense.

The goal of the project is the resettlement of dilapidated and emergency housing. The end of its implementation period is in 2024. The current program for the resettlement of emergency housing includes buildings that were recognized as such before January 1, 2017. In 2022, the government launched a new program for relocation from emergency housing, which included houses recognized as emergency during the period from January 1, 2017 to January 1, 2022

According to the Territorial Development Fund, in total, from 2019 to 2023, more than 531,000 people were resettled as part of this federal project. Of these, 59,000 – in 2023. A total of 8.99 million square meters have been resettled. m, in 2023 – more than 1 million sq. m of housing. In total, under the national project “Housing and Urban Environment” it is necessary to resettle 536,560 people and liquidate 9.53 million square meters. m of emergency fund until 2024

The deputies were not satisfied with the fact that expenses for the project “Ensuring a sustainable reduction of uninhabitable housing stock” in 2024 will be reduced by 60%, i.e. by 26.9 billion rubles. In 2023, 46.1 billion rubles are allocated for it, and in the next year – only 19.2 billion rubles, the committee’s conclusion to the draft budget says. Budget 2023–2024 assumed that expenses in 2024 would be higher – 47.5 billion rubles.

In addition, from January 1, 2024, a new stage of accelerated relocation from dilapidated housing is being launched in 54 regions within the framework of the project “Ensuring a sustainable reduction of uninhabitable housing stock.” It will be carried out in those regions that continue to work on the current program for the resettlement of emergency housing, recognized as such before 2017. From 2024, they will be able to simultaneously implement a new program regarding houses recognized as emergency after 2017, this will allow the regions to accelerate the pace of resettlement and will enable people to quickly move to new apartments, according to the government website.

According to the information submitted by the subjects on August 1, 2023, the total volume of emergency housing stock recognized as such in the period from January 1, 2017 to January 1, 2022 is 15.28 million square meters. m, which is home to 852,660 people. The total need for financing this resettlement is estimated at 1.375 trillion rubles, including from the federal budget – 825.36 billion rubles.

The committee’s conclusion includes calculations from the Territorial Development Fund: due to the rise in costs of resettlement programs in 31 regions, there is a shortage of funds in the amount of 86.91 billion rubles necessary to fully complete resettlement programs from emergency housing stock recognized as such before January 1, 2017. At risk non-resettlement – ​​861,630 sq. m.

As reported on the website of the Territorial Development Fund, people should be relocated to equivalent housing on social rent terms. Equivalence is established based on the footage of the total and living space. When relocating, equivalent housing can be provided in any area of ​​the locality. If a person refuses the options offered to him, then the municipality has the right to go to court with a claim to seize the premises in a dilapidated building with payment of the redemption price.

The timing of resettlement from unsuitable housing will depend on the amounts allocated for the implementation of this project, Galina Khovanskaya, chairman of the State Duma commission on ensuring the housing rights of citizens, explained to Vedomosti. As a rule, the provision of housing on time or delays in issuing it depends on the activities of each individual entity, she added. “At the same time, the Ministry of Construction does not allow the program to be implemented, since the ministry underestimates the cost of 1 sq. m. m, based on which it is impossible to build or purchase housing for resettled citizens,” Khovanskaya said. The continuation of activities under this program is natural, since questions have arisen regarding new territories, “where houses basically need to be demolished,” she concluded.

A reduction in federal funding for the program for relocation from dilapidated housing will be an “unpleasant moment” for many regions, Svetlana Razvorotneva, deputy chairman of the Duma Committee on Construction and Housing and Communal Services, told Vedomosti. “What could this turn out to be? I hope not that the resettlement will stop completely,” she shared. Razvorotneva said that when considering the budget, the committee discussed tools to prevent such situations and for the successful implementation of the program.

The project “Ensuring a sustainable reduction of unsuitable housing stock” includes the resettlement of dilapidated and dilapidated housing; capital repairs of premises will not be affected by the reduction in funding, Roman Ivanov, a lawyer specializing in housing and housing and communal services, explained to Vedomosti. In addition, the relevant committee calls for analyzing the actual state of the remaining housing stock in new regions, indicating the required amount of funding for the resettlement of citizens from emergency housing stock, and including this data in the draft federal budget for the second reading.

Vedomosti sent a request to the Ministry of Construction.