The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) said on the 20th that it will accept applications from public housing operators for its specialized housing program from the 21st through Nov. 20. The program aims to supply rental housing tailored to the needs of specific groups, including young adults, older adults and households raising children, and is open to local governments and municipal corporations.
Specialized housing refers to public rental housing that combines living space with facilities and services tailored to residents, such as social welfare centers, care facilities and shared offices. The ministry said it will provide financial support, including equity investment and loans from the Housing and Urban Fund, to projects selected through the competition so that specialized housing matches local demand and conditions.
Starting with this round, extra points will be awarded to projects outside the greater Seoul area. New floor-area standards for specialized facilities have been introduced for youth-oriented housing and child-friendly housing. For child-friendly projects, the standards are 3.82 billion won for 1,000 square meters or more, 2.8 billion won for 700 square meters or more, and 2 billion won for 500 square meters or more. For youth-oriented projects, the figure is 800 million won for 300 square meters or more. The ministry said it plans to improve the quality of specialized housing by securing enough dedicated space for activities such as social interaction among young adults and child care for families.
The application period runs about 60 days through Nov. 20. Proposals will then go through document review, on-site inspections, presentations and deliberation by an evaluation committee, with the review of proposed districts set for mid-December and candidate sites to be announced at the end of December. A briefing session for public housing operators interested in applying was held on the 15th at the auditorium in Building 6 of the Government Complex Sejong.
Youth-oriented housing provides living space and specialized services in prime urban locations, such as areas near subway stations, with unit sizes and built-in furniture preferred by young adults. It is open to unmarried young adults and university students.
The locally proposed category was introduced in the second-half competition in 2024. It allows public housing operators to tailor eligibility requirements, selection methods and residency periods to local needs, such as encouraging childbirth or relocation to rural areas. The ministry said the category can contribute to regional revitalization because it allows locally tailored design, reflects residents' needs and can be readily linked to central and local government policies.
Welfare housing for older adults combines homes fitted with accessibility features, such as sliding bathroom doors and safety handrails, with social welfare facilities to deliver housing and welfare services together. Older adults aged 65 and over who do not own a home are eligible. The complexes include health and leisure facilities such as senior cafeterias, health counseling rooms and lecture rooms.
Job-linked support housing provides specialized facilities such as shared offices and startup centers to help reduce housing costs for employees of small and midsize companies. It targets entrepreneurs, workers at small and midsize companies and employees at industrial complexes.
"Specialized housing can supply homes tailored to local demand and conditions, and it is public rental housing that provides living space and services reflecting the characteristics of a range of residents, including young adults, older adults and households raising children," said Han Sung-soo, director general for housing welfare policy at the ministry. "Through this competition, we hope local governments and other public housing operators will show strong interest and take part so that a variety of specialized housing needed in each region can be actively identified and supplied."
