Housing
DSW: Affordable Housing Alliance
Affordable Housing Alliance: Tight housing market in university cities, new construction and renovation imperative
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Deutsches Studentenwerk (DSW) on today's constitution of the "Alliance for Affordable Housing" by Federal Minister for Building Klara Geywitz (SPD)
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DSW President Rolf-Dieter Postlep: "The housing markets in university cities are extremely tight, the initiative is urgently needed".
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Demand of the student unions: 1.25 billion euros in public funding for the construction of 25,000 new dormitory places, a further 1.3 billion in funding for refurbishment
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As an association of 57 student unions, DSW is a member of the alliance
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Student unions with 196,000 dormitory places for students nationwide
Berlin, 27 April 2022. The housing markets in university cities are extremely tight, and the "Alliance for Affordable Housing" officially established by the German government today, Wednesday, 27 April 2022, is an urgently needed initiative to realize the "Federal Program for Student Housing, Young Housing and Housing for Trainees" promised in the coalition agreement. This was announced by Deutsches Studentenwerk (DSW), the association of student unions and itself a member of the alliance. Necessary are the new building and the reorganization of dormitory places for students as well as the supply of free and/or favorable properties, demands the federation.
Prof. Dr. Rolf-Dieter Postlep, the president of Deutsches Studentenwerk, is taking part in today's constituent meeting of the alliance launched by Klara Geywitz (SPD), Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Construction. The alliance aims to create 400,000 new apartments per year, 100,000 of which will be publicly subsidized.
Postlep explains:
"The waiting lists for student dormitories are full, and students are desperately seeking affordable housing: The Affordable Housing Alliance launched today comes just at the right time, and it is an important initiative of the federal government to address the federal-state program for more affordable housing for students and trainees announced in the coalition agreement. What is needed is new construction, renovation and free or low-cost land.
Specifically, the student unions need around 1.25 billion euros in state subsidies for the construction of at least 25,000 additional dormitory places for students. They need a further 1.3 billion euros in government funding for the refurbishment of their student housing stock. This overall package will at least ease the housing market for students somewhat.
We currently have more than 2.9 million students in Germany, and the housing market for affordable accommodation is still very tight, especially in university cities.
The number of state-funded student places has increased by 52% since 2007, but the number of state-funded dormitory places at the student unions has only increased by 9%. This gap must not be allowed to widen any further!
Student and student services organizations have a legal social mandate to provide affordable housing for students. Creating and maintaining this is a huge challenge for the non-profit student unions, which do not operate for profit. They can only do this with government financial subsidies.
The 57 student unions organized in Deutsches Studentenwerk (DSW) offer around 196,000 places in some 1,700 student dormitories nationwide, with an average rent including heat of 263 euros a month. They thus provide slightly less than 10% of students with affordable housing.https://www.studentenwerke.de/de/content/ausstattung-und-miete-von-wohnheimplätzen-0
Under the control of the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction, the "Alliance for Affordable Housing" includes:
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the leading municipal associations
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the associations of the housing and construction industry as well as other industry associations
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associations and organizations of civil society, including Deutsches Studentenwerk
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four federal states and advisory permanent guests
This press release can be found online here.