The dream of settling down is coming true

The social housing project in Quang Thanh ward is being implemented by the investor.

On a hot May afternoon, Ms. Nguyen Thi Luong, a worker at Le Mon Industrial Park, excitedly took us to visit the newly handed over apartment at the Tan Thanh ECO3 Social Housing Project, in Quang Thang Ward, Thanh Hoa City: "Previously, my husband and I had to rent a room for 2.5 million VND per month, the room was cramped and hot. Now that we have this apartment, my two children have a proper place to study, I feel like a burden has been lifted off my shoulders," Ms. Luong shared with shining eyes.

Ms. Le Thi Huong, a kindergarten teacher in Thanh Hoa City with a modest income, could not hide her joy when she received an apartment at the Tan Thanh ECO3 Social Housing Project: "My husband and I have saved for nearly 10 years but still do not have enough to buy a commercial house. Thanks to the social housing policy, my family has a home at a reasonable price, and we also get a preferential loan from the Social Policy Bank."

Unlike Ms. Luong and Ms. Huong who already have social housing apartments, Ms. Pham Thi Hang, a garment worker at a company located in Dong Vinh commune, Thanh Hoa city, is still looking forward to it. Every time she hears information about the social housing project under construction, she goes to find out more. "Sometimes on my way home from work, I pass by the social housing project construction site in Quang Thanh ward and see the slightly taller building, which adds a bit of hope to me. Although I don't know if I'll be lucky enough to own an apartment, I believe that people like us will soon have a home to settle down" - Ms. Hang shared.

Ms. Hang's wish is also the wish of thousands of workers in the province today. In order to realize the dream of having "a roof" for thousands of working families, in recent years the province has been synchronously implementing many drastic solutions. In particular, the Provincial People's Committee has developed Plan No. 228/KH-UBND dated September 20, 2023 on implementing the Project "Investing in the construction of at least 01 million social housing apartments for low-income people and industrial park workers in the period of 2021-2030" in the province. According to this plan, the province aims to complete at least 13,787 apartments in the 2021-2030 period, of which about 6,287 apartments will be completed in the 2021-2025 period and about 7,500 apartments will be completed in the 2026-2030 period.

By the end of March 2025, Thanh Hoa had completed 1,817 social housing apartments. Of which, 1 project was completed with 466 apartments (Tan Thanh ECO2) and 8 projects were under implementation, partially completed with 1,351 apartments, and 6,568 apartments were under construction.

Projects under implementation include: Housing for workers in Hoang Long Industrial and Urban Area has completed 246/369 units; Social housing in Quang Thang Ward (Tan Thanh ECO3 Residential Area) has completed 282/423 units; Social housing in Bao Ngoai Street has completed 480 units; Social housing for workers in the eastern area of ​​Le Mon Industrial Park has completed 291/1,211 units; Social housing in Project No. 1 of the City Center Urban Area has started construction on 856/2,824 units; Social housing in Quang Thang Ward has completed 215/637 units; Social housing in Quang Thanh Ward has completed 222/860 units; and AMC Social Housing Area has started construction on 3 buildings with 900 units.

In addition to the projects that have been and are being implemented, there are 4 projects in the province that have had investment policies but have not completed investment procedures for construction, with a total number of apartments expected to be 3,800 units upon completion. Of these, the social housing project in Nam Ngan ward, Thanh Hoa city, located in the residential and service area of ​​Bac Cau Hac urban area, has had its basic design appraised at the Ministry of Construction , is completing procedures for land allocation and construction permits, and is expected to start construction in the second quarter of 2025 with 4 buildings and 2,376 units.

At the same time, 14 projects are completing documents and procedures for investment approval, with a total number of apartments expected to be 7,596 units upon completion. It is expected that in the second quarter of 2025, the province will complete the approval of investment policies and organize bidding to select investors to implement these 14 projects. Currently, 8/14 projects are submitting for appraisal and approval of investment policies.

However, according to the report of the Provincial People's Committee, the development of social housing in the province still faces many difficulties, such as: the preferential policies for investors of social housing projects and worker housing that have been issued are not attractive enough (the project's standard profit in the case of selling social housing must not exceed 10% of the total investment cost), leading to failure to attract and encourage investors to participate. The support level of the 120,000 billion VND credit package is relatively low, only 1.5 to 2% lower than the normal loan interest rate and according to the commercial lending mechanism, not enough to encourage the demand for loans from home buyers.

Faced with these difficulties and obstacles, the Provincial People's Committee has proposed that the National Assembly issue a resolution to pilot a number of specific mechanisms and policies for the development of social housing to serve as a basis for accelerating the progress of social housing projects. At the same time, the province has also issued a decision to assign targets for completing social housing in 2025 and the following years until 2030 in the province, clearly assigning responsibilities to each unit. Accordingly, by 2025, Thanh Hoa City must complete 5,249 apartments, Nghi Son town, Tho Xuan district and Yen Dinh district are also assigned specific targets.

To promote the progress of projects, the province has established a Steering Committee on social housing development and implemented housing support policies for policy beneficiaries. Regular meetings are held to promptly remove obstacles and resolve difficulties. The Department of Construction has also been assigned to monitor and supervise the implementation of projects and periodically report to the Provincial People's Committee. According to the plan, the province aims to complete about 5,000 apartments in 2025, ensuring the target assigned by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 444/QD-TTg dated February 27, 2025 on assigning targets for completing social housing in 2025 and the following years until 2030 for localities to add to the socio-economic development targets.

It can be said that social housing units are not simply low-cost apartments, but are a symbol of a humane social security policy, a testament to the Party and State's relentless efforts in realizing the dream of "settling down" for tens of thousands of working families, contributing to the successful implementation of the Government's 1 million social housing unit project, affirming the strong vitality of the "no one is left behind" policy that our Party and State are steadfastly pursuing.

Article and photos: Ngan Ha

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/giac-mo-an-cu-dang-hien-thuc-hoa-248284.htm