Indef: 3 Million Houses Programme to Improve Public Welfare

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Economist from the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) Eko Listiyanto said the 3 Million Houses programme plays a role in improving public welfare, especially for low-income communities or MBR. “In general, this is the provision of housing specifically for underprivileged communities, while housing itself is a primary need, so through the 3 Million Houses programme, it can generally help improve welfare,” Eko said when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta on Monday. He said the context here is that MBR can own their first decent home, and subsequently, they can manage their household and economic life better in the end. He added that when MBR can own their first home, they become more productive in economic activities. All these facilitations, he continued, are so that house prices, which have been difficult for MBR’s purchasing power to catch up with, can become more affordable and manageable for MBR. “First, because houses themselves are not cheap, so in the end, they must be affordable and match the purchasing power of the community. This is the goal that the government aims to achieve through the 3 Million Houses programme,” he said. In addition, the government also wants to connect the financial world, particularly banking, with the community, so that the banking sector can open the widest possible access for MBR to easily obtain mortgages (KPR).