Greifswald is fighting against the housing shortage: More social housing is required!

Greifswald is fighting against the housing shortage: More social housing is required!

The city of Greifswald is facing a major challenge: the housing market is under great pressure and the need for affordable living space is constantly growing. The city's citizens have now decided to address the problem. At the next meeting on July 14, 2025, a resolution to reappoint the “Affordable Housing” working group will be presented. This step is intended to help alleviate the acute housing shortage in Greifswald, which is caused by a continuous increase in rents and an insufficient number of available apartments. How NDR reported, a comprehensive catalog of measures to improve the situation was presented in 2019, which will now be evaluated and updated.

If you take a closer look, it becomes clear that not only is there a shortage of living space in Greifswald, but the crisis could also worsen. A population development forecast from 2017 shows that the city will lack around 3,000 apartments by 2030. In an agreed plan, the citizens awarded, among other things, 13 contracts to the city administration in order to advance local housing policy. The focus is particularly on publicly subsidized social housing with a maximum rent of 6.60 euros per square meter. This is a step that Erik von Malottki from the SPD sees as essential in order to find concrete solutions in a timely manner Baltic Sea newspaper holds on.

Housing for everyone – a plan for the future

In order to promote the construction of new, needed living space, a new directive is planned that, among other things, will set conditions for alternative forms of housing and social housing. Builders are also obliged to design every third apartment in new multi-storey buildings as social housing. This shows that the city is serious about its responsibility to create suitable housing for all citizens. Loud NDR The working group should also help to adapt the recommendations from the previous catalog of measures to current developments.

The administration was also asked to provide concrete figures on the apartments and social housing required. This is crucial because entitlement to social housing only applies to tenants with a housing entitlement certificate, which is linked to income limits. The development of the issuance of these notes in recent years shows that this is not nearly enough to meet demand. In 2018, 97 residence permits were issued and in 2019, only 24 were issued by May.

Dispute over the correct course of action

However, the path to a better housing future is not without hurdles. The dispute between the SPD and the CDU aims, among other things, at the funding of new construction projects and the discount directive. Building Senator Jeannette von Busse (CDU) has repeatedly spoken out against these guidelines, which is fueling discussions within the citizenry. On the day of the vote, the administration even withdrew from introducing the bill, which doesn't exactly ensure calm and a quick solution.

The next developments are eagerly awaited. However, it is clear that Greifswald urgently needs solutions to relieve the burden on the housing market and to ensure good, affordable homes for everyone in the future.