Mayor of Athens Announces Strategy to Address Housing Crisis

Public-supported housing may soon be coming to Athens. Athens Mayor Haris Doukas outlined a series of municipal interventions aimed at tackling the housing crisis during a public event co-hosted with the University of Athens.

According to the mayor, the Municipality of Athens is currently developing three major housing initiatives. The first involves the creation of seven social apartments in the center of the capital, intended to house economically vulnerable families. These units, housed in a municipally-owned building near Omonia, are being renovated through a public-private partnership and will be offered at low rents.

In addition, the mayor stated that two broader housing programs are underway in collaboration with relevant ministries and funded by European resources. One program will subsidize rent for 257 private residences for young people aged 25 to 39 who receive the minimum wage. The second will support the renovation of 70 homes to accommodate vulnerable households.

Citing data, the mayor said that one in three residents of central Athens spends 40% of their income on rent—double the European average. Over the past seven years, he noted, residential rents have increased by 90%, largely due to overtourism, which has driven many properties out of long-term residential use and into tourist accommodation.

As a result, the mayor revealed that two in ten residents are unable to afford heating in winter. “Many are now forced to choose between heating and food,” he said.

A recent Focus Bari study found that 64% of Greeks agree that rents are far too high compared to incomes. A recent report from the Bank of Greece confirms this, stating that rising demand and limited supply are pushing rental prices even higher, especially in cities where housing is already scarce.

In response, the mayor announced that municipal services are conducting a comprehensive inventory of city-owned real estate to classify each property by ownership, zoning status, value, and potential use. He added that a new building management body is planned, aimed at enabling the Municipality to participate in social housing initiatives and to redevelop abandoned buildings in cooperation with private entities, ensuring public interest prevails.

The mayor also stressed the need for a new legal framework to facilitate neighborhood regeneration and allow for large-scale transformation of derelict buildings into social housing. Over 2,000 abandoned properties have already been registered, but most are legally entangled, making immediate redevelopment impossible.

“We are proposing the creation of a Housing Observatory and a Social Housing Office as new municipal structures,” the mayor stated.

Regarding tourism-driven pressures, the mayor pointed to illegal rooftop conversions in the Plaka district, where at least 30 cases have been identified in violation of protective zoning laws. He announced that, following Easter, municipal services will intensify inspections related to land use violations and noise pollution, supported by the launch of a new Historical Center Office to handle citizen complaints.

Source: tovima.com