Gov't plans 11,000 social housing units for newlyweds, young families

Taipei, Sept. 4 (CNA) Taiwan's government plans to provide more than 11,000 social housing units for new couples or families with toddlers by 2028, as part of a broader effort to ease the financial burden on young people.

At a Cabinet press briefing in Taipei on Thursday, Deputy Minister of the Interior Dong Jian-hong (董建宏) said a new program providing housing assistance to couples married for under two years and families with preschool-aged children was approved by the Executive Yuan earlier the same day.

Under the program, effective from 2026, more than 11,000 social housing units to be released by the central government over the next three years would be reserved for those two groups, he said.

He added that successful applicants would be allowed to live in the units for up to 12 years -- double the six-year term for regular social housing tenants.

According to Wu Hsin-hsou (吳欣修), head of the National Land Management Agency, the central government will have 1,000 units ready by the end of 2025 and will release an additional 10,000 units by 2028.

The new program was introduced after Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said the government would pivot its policy focus toward households and young people, following the ruling Democratic Progressive Party-backed recall campaign's failure to unseat most opposition Kuomintang lawmakers.

The program will also provide new couples and families with minors who rent through government-certified rental management companies with annual repair grants of up to NT$6,000 (US$195) to improve home safety, Dong said at the briefing.

In addition, the government will expand existing rental subsidies for couples married for up to two years and families with newborns, he added.

Wu noted that an estimated 483,000 households would benefit from the new program, which is projected to cost NT$27 billion.