120 students and graduates will receive keys to their own flats as part of the “Apartment for Graduates” program in Białystok. The city hopes to keep the best graduates and students who are finishing their studies in the town by providing them with preferential rental conditions. The investment consumed PLN 57 million, the majority of which was funded by the National Economy Bank (BGK).
“The ‘Apartment for Graduates’ project is an innovative national project for the first time implemented by Białystok. It involves allocating 120 of the 186 municipal apartments which were built with funding from the National Economy Bank to graduates,” says Tadeusz Truskolaski, the mayor of Białystok.
The investment in a modern housing estate where 186 apartments were built, 120 of which were reserved for students and graduates, cost PLN 57 million. The financial subsidy from the National Economy Bank amounted to PLN 40.5 million.
“The National Economy Bank is a bank with a mission for social-economic development of Poland. To implement this mission, it is equipped with special tools, government programs, and funds, one of which is the Subsidy Fund. It serves to finance the development of social, municipal, or social housing from budget funds, and one such example is the use of funds by the authorities in Białystok,” emphasizes Mirosław Czekaj, the president of the National Economy Bank.
The program launched last year hopes to attract young and ambitious people to Białystok. To qualify for the program, candidates had to show good academic results, confirmed by an average grade of at least 4.5. A key condition for extending the lease is employment in the city, which in the future will contribute to the development of the local community and economy. In the first edition of the program, 131 people applied, 120 of whom met the required criteria. Among the beneficiaries, there are 11 students and 109 graduates.
Apartments are rented only for the duration of employment in Białystok. If the rental period lasts continuously for 10 years, the lease contract entered into for the duration of employment is extended indefinitely.
Białystok, like the vast majority of Polish cities, is rapidly depopulating. As indicated by the Central Statistical Office, the population of the Podlasie province decreased within the year by over 5,000 people.
“Graduates and students need such investments because we can’t afford to buy our own house, and renting is very expensive,” convinces Katarzyna Zdanowicz, a graduate of the Higher School of Physical Education and Tourism in Białystok, one of the program’s beneficiaries.
“The ‘Apartment for Graduates’ program is needed because of the tough housing market. It is certainly a significant contribution to helping young people at the start,” adds Kamil Barszczewski, a graduate of the Białystok University of Technology.
“Interest in the program was greater than we expected as over 130 people applied. Initially, there were to be 90 apartments in the program, but the councilors increased their number to 120 at the next session, so all those who met these quite high criteria will receive these keys,” adds the city’s president.
The National Economy Bank has reached a record level of credit engagement in the local government sector. The amount of active funding for local government units (JST) and their companies exceeded PLN 20 billion.
“The Subsidy Fund is used to finance the development of housing for people with lower or average incomes. The main partner for the bank is local governments. So far, we have allocated over PLN 6 billion to implement housing tasks. Tangible effects are 33 thousand apartments already handed over for use and the construction of 21 thousand apartments by Polish local governments for their residents,” points out Mirosław Czekaj.
