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Published on December 7, 2007

Housing for the poor is a complicated issue not only in Thailand but worldwide, Kosit said, adding that many governments initiated housing projects in order to boost growth.

Speaking at seminar on "Housing Strategy for Low Income Groups" hosted by the Real Estate Information Centre, Kosit said the government had reviewed the Ban Ua Athorn project because it did not meet the needs of the poor.

He said many other housing schemes for the poor also needed to be reviewed.

Somchai Jitsuchon, research director at the Thailand Development Research Institute, echoed Kosit's view, saying lack of data and an unclear concept of housing for the poor was the root problem.

He said politicians often launched housing schemes without adequate background information, while their critics also lacked comprehensive research to convince policy-makers to make better projects.

Somchai said the rate of home ownership in rural areas was high at about 90 per cent, but only 55 per cent in cities.

He said past housing projects for the poor did not take into account proximity to their workplace. The poor live in slums because it is close to where they their earn a living, but the government often builds them housing far from the city, so those who are relocated just go back to the slums.

National Housing Authority deputy governor Rusmee Chaiyanant said her office had drafted a strategy for Cabinet consideration.

Rusmee said the biggest problem for the poor was that they cannot get access to mortgages. Under the Constitution, the government has to provide housing for the homeless.

Board of Investment deputy secretary-general Hiranya Sujinai said developers who received tax incentives to build low-cost housing where each unit is not worth more than Bt600,000, had asked for the price limit to be raised. 

Wichit Chaitrong

 The Nation