2,500 on waiting list for municipal housing in Tallinn
There are currently 2,500 people on the waiting list for municipal housing in Tallinn, and the couple of hundred municipal apartments being built in the capital city will not solve the problems of most of them.
While the law dictates that the City of Tallinn must ensure housing for these people, the city is incapable of doing so, ERR's Russian-language radio news reported on Tuesday.
According to Deputy Mayor Eha Võrk (Center), most of those in need live in Lasnamäe District.
"If we look at the numbers, then the fewest applicants for municipal housing live in Pirita — 23 people," Võrk said. "And of these, five need social space, and the rest municipal apartments. The next district in size is Haabersti, from which we have received 64 applications, 23 of which are applying for housing for young families. The most applications have come from Lasnamäe, which is where the most people live as well. There are over 800 applications from Lasnamäe. The percentage of young families is fairly high."
In accordance with procedures in force in Tallinn, the assignment of municipal apartments is decided on the district level — whom to add to the waiting list and what apartment to assign to whom is decided by a committee in each city district.
Two buildings of municipal housing are currently under construction in Tallinn. One of them, a building including 80 units, should be completed in Northern Tallinn in November. A 130-unit building is planned for Mustamäe as well, but is currently only in the initial stages of the planning phase.
According to Tallinn City Council member Raimond Kaljulaid (SDE), the municipal housing shortage is an issue that has been ongoing for decades.
Tallinn currently has a municipal housing stock of 4,500 apartments.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla