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Not just university students and young workers. Even for police officers find a home in Bologna it became an odyssey. The real estate owners’ association Confabitare underlines that “the difficulty in finding accommodation” can often “push them to request transfers to other locations”.
The housing crisis is a problem that the commissioner himself is aware of Antonio Sbordone: “An issue that generates a lot of social tension – he declares –. This problem also concerns the policemen, who suffer from a housing shortage like all citizens. Our options for providing service housing to officers are very limited compared to other cities. It is crucial – continues Sbordone – to find solutions to facilitate the search for accommodation for policemen”.
A theme which, according to the commissioner, is also intertwined with that of safety: “The shortage of housing makes Bologna less attractive for those who want to move here and pushes current agents to ask for transfers, which is neither beneficial to security nor to the life of the city.”
What it’s (really) like to look for a house or a place to sleep in Bologna
To try to buffer the effects of the lack of housing, Confabitare and the Bologna police headquarters have therefore signed a convention: for police officers looking for a property to rent, the association will offer its services without applying the commission normally envisaged in the event of a contract being signed, in addition to committing to promoting the agreed rent among its members. While agents who own properties will be able to join Confabitare with a discount on the membership fee.
“In Bologna there is a strong difficulty in the rental market, with families struggling to find affordable housing – adds the president of Confabitare Alberto Zanni -. This phenomenon not only weakens city security, but also creates discontinuity and hinders the strengthening of relationships of trust between the people of Bologna and the police. Our commitment – says Zanni – is to help members of the State Police find accommodation at controlled rents, thus encouraging their stay in our city. It is essential that the police forces are numerous and well rooted in Bologna, to do this it is necessary to facilitate their search for accommodation at sustainable prices”.
