THE SECOND HOUSING FORUM OF MR COMMUNITY HOUSING FUND AND METROPOLITAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE

About the Forum – in more detail

The first Housing Forum, organised by the MR Community Housing Fund and Metropolitan Research Institute in 2024, was a high-profile event to discuss municipal and other innovative practices in Hungary, including European examples. The Second Housing Forum aims to provide an overview of current programmes and ideas from the perspective of government housing policy strategy, taking into account the paradigm shift in European housing policy. Its main elements are: 1) the combined consideration of social and affordable housing programmes in community housing policy; 2) the strengthening of the rental housing sector (“ownership neutral” subsidy and stakeholders’ scheme); 3) the introduction of new financial and organisational models (cooperation between central government, municipalities, housing companies on the market and non-profit organisations); 4) a strong ambition to ensure that community funds invested in the housing sector serve the long-term goals of social and affordable housing programmes.

At the Forum, we will discuss the current challenges of affordable and sustainable housing in Hungary and possible solutions to these challenges in a governmental, municipal and market context, with the participation of leading housing policy makers and housing experts. The first day’s programme will review the options for affordable housing programmes, taking into account both supply and demand conditions, while the second day’s programme will focus on the state of the social housing issue, taking into account European practices in both cases. The Forum will also explore the possibilities for linking programmes initiated by different actors and creating synergies.

The Forum will honour among its speakers and participants public and municipal leaders responsible for housing policy and housing in their countries, as well as market actors and service providers with significant experience and expertise in this field.

About the background – with a look ahead

In almost all countries in Europe, a housing crisis has emerged after 2015, with the main sign being that house prices and rents have risen faster than incomes. The new EU Member States have been affected differently from the old Member States because they have a much higher level of private home ownership, lower quality housing stock, fewer dwellings per 1000 inhabitants and more limited economic opportunities to build a new model. All the new Member States have been experimenting with new solutions over the last 10 to 15 years, often with the support of European international organisations, and it may be important to look at the results and growth potential of these.