The city council allocates resources for the payment of rents (and requests further funding from the Basilicata Region)
The Matera city council has approved the creation of a municipal fund to support families in housing difficulty, in response to recent cuts in state funds
With a motion signed by seven councillors, the Matera city council yesterday approved, with 23 votes in favour, the establishment of a municipal fund to support needy families in paying rent. The decision commits the mayor and the council to define a plan of social needs indicators and to find resources from the 2023 management surplus, allocating them to families experiencing housing difficulties. Furthermore, a request will be made to the Basilicata Region to obtain additional funding to support this initiative.
The motion, illustrated by councilor Mimma Carlucci, was born in response to the recent cut of around 200 million euros in state welfare funds, which also affected the National Fund for supporting access to rental housing. This cut risks putting many families in Matera in crisis.
The Municipality of Matera, thanks to virtuous management of resources, has managed to keep its accounts in order, avoiding deficits and financial collapse. The data on housing poverty in Matera reflect national trends, with an increase in absolute and relative poverty, accentuated by inflation. According to Istat, in 2022 absolute poverty involved more than 2 million families in Italy, equal to 8.3% of the total, with over 5.6 million individuals.
In 2021, the municipal body of Matera has already paid 872,473 euros for rent, satisfying 93% of the rental bonus requests. Mayor Domenico Bennardi said he was satisfied with the measure, which will support many families penalized by national cuts.
The motion was presented by the majority councilors: Carlucci, Stifano, Losignore, De Palo, Calderola, Paterino and Pilato.
