The city of Recife and the federal government launched this Wednesday (17), at the headquarters of B3, in São Paulo, the first public-private partnership (PPP) for social rental housing in Brazil. The initiative aims to expand the possibilities of the Minha Casa, Minha Vida Program and help address the housing deficit in the country, currently estimated at 5.9 million homes.
Called PPP Morar no Centro, this project model will initially be developed by the city of Recife (PE), benefiting 1,128 homes in the center of the capital of Pernambuco. Of this total, 637 units will be allocated for rental and the remainder for sale.
This model should soon also be implemented in the cities of Campo Grande (MS), Maceió (AL) and Santo André (SP).
The focus of the project is social rental for families with income between R$1,400 and R$4,900.
The idea is that part of the rent and condominium expenses are subsidized and comprises, at most, between 15% and 25% of the beneficiary’s family income. The units must also be delivered with some basic items such as a refrigerator and stove.
The private partner, who will be selected through an auction, will be responsible for the renovation (retrofit), construction, maintenance and management of the projects, all located in the central region of Recife.
“We are here discussing a new format for housing in the country. This is the first social rental PPP in the country”, said the assistant secretary of the Special Secretariat for the Investment Partnership Program of the Civil House of the Presidency of the Republic, Manoel Renato Machado Filho.
“The role of the private partner will be to build these housing units and then provide condominium management and preventive and corrective maintenance of these properties, in order to reduce the impact on the neighborhood, especially in the lower income brackets. This project is very much aimed at trying to resolve a series of housing policy problems that we have not been able to resolve through regulated mechanisms”, he added.
In an interview with Agência Brasil, the national secretary of Housing, Augusto Rabelo, reinforced that this PPP is a long-term model, which aims to attack the housing deficit in the country.
“Our objective is to have another tool to attack the housing deficit. If today we attack the deficit by building houses, we will also have another component which is the burden of rent. There are many families who need a new house because they live in precarious situations, but there are also many people who pay and spend a very high or excessive amount of rent and, from this, social rent would come as another way of acting on this”, he explained.
“It’s a format in which the city hall provides a consideration and, with that, it amortizes what this cost would be and the concessionaire can explore services. In addition, there is a number of units that he will be able to sell.”
According to Rabelo, another important component of the project is that it also works to revitalize the center of Recife.
“It’s not just one project, it’s a series of projects that will be carried out in the city of Recife. And it’s not just about doing the project. There’s also the aspect of social work with these families, the aspect of condominium management and building management and access to public services. And another important aspect of this Recife PPP is the component of downtown revitalization”, he highlighted.
The project is structured by Caixa, with financial support from the federal government, through the Support Fund for the Structuring of Concession Projects and is coordinated by the Special Secretariat for the Partnerships and Investments program of the Civil House of the Presidency of the Republic.
The expectation is that the notice about the PPP Morar no Centro Recife will be published on January 3rd. The auction with the announcement of the winners should be held on April 24th, at the headquarters of B3, the São Paulo stock exchange. More information about this project can be found on the website https://parcerias.recife.pe.gov.br/projetos/ppp-de-habitacao-social/
