CRI听力: Law on the Way to Provide Basic Shelters for Low-income Families

The government is soliciting public feedback on its draft of a new basic housing law. Legal experts say the new law will create a consistent system to manage the currently disorganized manner in which low-rent apartments are allocated and distributed, and guarantee that those with low incomes receive basic shelter in the future.

Let's take a closer look with reporter Liu Min.



The Chinese government is creating a new law to ensure low-income citizens basic shelter.

In the meantime, a new housing regulation in Guangzhou forbids low-income residents from subletting their apartments to other tenants or changing the unit's original framework and functions.

Those who violate the regulation will receive a grade of zero according to the new tenant behavior rating system and will be asked to move out of the low-income housing community.
 
Dong Yixia, a resident who lives in a low-income housing community in Guangzhou, says she supports the regulation.

"The behavior rating system is like a tool to manage the whole community. Now I no longer see as much dog dirt in the garden. Ninety percent of the residents here want to lead stable and peaceful lives."

Guangzhou has adopted the regulation as a clause in the current housing law.

The regulation came about after some corrupt local government housing officials allocated low-income apartment units to people who did not qualify for them. A few of such residents were discovered driving BMWs. One billionaire who managed to secure a low-income housing subsidy became the butt of jokes on the internet.

To further implement the regulation, the Guangzhou municipal government hired a third party to monitor the city's low-rent housing communities. The main purpose is to ensure that low-rent units go to those who truly need them.

Huang Jingxin is Director of Guangzhou's Basic Housing Security Bureau.

"I think whether the basic housing security system can be successful in China depends mostly on whether those who shouldn't stay in such homes can leave. For example, some families could make more money than they do now, and by then they would no longer need help. Then they would need to vacate the home and let those who really need it move in. Otherwise, no matter how many more affordable homes are built, it would still be difficult to meet the demand."

The new national law will also set strict standards to verify low-rent housing units and applicants' qualifications.
Currently, many cities are pushing for a multiple-level verification system and plan to publicize the information throughout the entire process of allocating low-rent housing.

In Jiangxi Province, the government is conducting transparent procedures to allocate affordable housing to low-income families. The process has been covered live on television and internet programs. All applicants' names and apartment numbers have been publicized.

Zhu Zuoqing is Director of the Housing Administration Bureau in Jiujiang City of Jiangxi Province.

"Common citizens have the final say to decide who can get a chance to enjoy affordable housing."

The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development says the central government allocated 79.2 billion yuan, or 11.9 billion U.S. dollars, to build 5.8 million government-subsidized apartments this year compared with 3.3 million apartments last year. By the end of September, construction had started on 90 percent of the apartments.

For CRI, I'm Liu Min.