Did Lai's Government Slash 130,000 Social Housing Units? Public Party Warns 'All May Be Replaced by This Plan': Cuts Could Reduce to Zero

The Ministry of the Interior recently announced adjustments to the 'One Million Renting Households Program,' reportedly aiming to reduce the number of newly built social housing units from 130,000 to 40,000 in response to aging and low birth rates. Instead, the government plans to revitalize vacant homes through rental management and leasing services to fill the gap. In response, the Public Party posted on Facebook today (4th) criticizing that the pre-election promise of 130,000 social housing units has been continuously slashed post-election, potentially ending up with zero new units—calling it the 'Zero-Unit Attack' by the Lai administration.

The Public Party stated that President Lai Qingde clearly promised during his campaign to directly build 130,000 additional social housing units on top of the existing 120,000, aiming for a national total of 250,000 units. However, this election pledge has since been significantly reduced. The Ministry of the Interior first cut the target from 130,000 to 40,000. According to a revised social housing plan obtained by civil groups, the central government's direct construction target is now rumored to be only 30,000 units—a reduction of over 70%.

Even more alarming, the Public Party noted that of these 30,000 units, approximately 25,000 were already initiated during former President Tsai Ing-wen’s term. This means that only about 5,000 new units are actually planned under Lai’s administration—just 1,000 per year on average. Furthermore, the revised plan allows rental subsidies and managed leasing units to 'complement' direct construction targets, meaning even these final 5,000 units could be replaced by alternative schemes.

The Public Party criticized the continuous reduction—from 130,000 to 40,000, then down to 30,000 units. After excluding already initiated projects, only 5,000 new units remain, which could still be further reduced. This, they said, is the Lai government’s 'Zero-Unit Attack.'

While rental subsidies can ease immediate financial burdens and managed leasing has policy value, the party emphasized that subsidies end when they expire, and housing supply vanishes when landlords withdraw. Neither can replace government-built social housing, nor should they be used to inflate or falsely represent progress toward housing justice.

Moreover, the issue isn’t just that the central government is building fewer units. The revised plan reportedly states that starting in 2028, the central government will no longer provide subsidies for newly awarded local social housing projects. Since planning and bidding for social housing typically takes 2–3 years, local governments attempting to launch new projects now may soon face a cutoff in central support. This means not only is the central government not building, but it’s also setting up conditions that prevent local governments from building.

Meanwhile, the National Housing and Urban Development Center, responsible for promoting social housing, has increased its staff from 57 in 2018 to 495 by 2026, with annual personnel expenses reaching approximately NT$674 million. Yet, many operations continue to be outsourced. With manpower increasing nearly eightfold, why has the central government’s direct construction target been drastically reduced? As the organization grows larger, why are people waiting for fewer homes?

The Public Party demanded the Lai administration clearly explain the following five points: (1) Release the full content of the revised social housing plan and clarify how much the 130,000-unit target has been cut; (2) Publish annual and county-by-county direct construction targets and scheduled progress; (3) Continue central government subsidies for land, financing, and non-self-financing costs for local social housing construction; (4) Prohibit inflating or misrepresenting rental subsidies and managed leasing as direct construction achievements; (5) Explain what concrete results the Housing and Urban Development Center has delivered after expanding its workforce, budget, and outsourcing scale.