The Graz Human Rights Report 2022 was presented on Wednesday. The implementation of the ten concrete recommendations that were made in the last report was examined – and in the end, as they say, a “gratifying balance” might be drawn.
Price-boosting development
Graz has been experiencing strong population growth for years – the demand for affordable apartments is increasing. On the other hand, there is a construction boom in private residential construction in the city with a focus on small apartments as investor apartments.
An overall increase in the rental price level is observed – more on this in Rents have risen sharply once more (news.ORF.at); The situation is particularly challenging for people on low incomes, single women, single parents, the elderly and young families.
First innovations are done
According to the latest human rights report, the cooperation with political decision-makers and municipal departments is “consistently solution-oriented”: The adapted access criteria for municipal housing were mentioned, for example – one is now entitled to apply for a main residence in Graz following one year and not following five as before. Convention refugees have now been declared entitled to access once more.
Furthermore, at the suggestion of the Advisory Board, a “representative for pedestrians” was appointed, who is involved in all structural measures in public space: one of her first actions was the development of a “master plan for walking”.
Human rights report gives Graz good marks
The Graz Human Rights Advisory Board gives the city government in the state capital good marks: According to the latest human rights report, many recommendations have been implemented, especially in the areas of housing, sport and culture.
In addition, the city has announced that it will set up a new “Housing and Homeless Assistance” department in the Social Welfare Office for the coming year: this will work with the relevant institutions – from social work to real estate management – and improve data collection and evaluation, so that quantitative data on the Homelessness and its causes are available. Finally, new construction concepts are aimed at ensuring that more green and open space is available for residents.
Waiver of benchmark rent increase
For people who cannot afford an apartment on the private housing market, the city of Graz has the opportunity to allocate a total of around 11,200 cheaper apartments. For the approximately 4,350 council apartments included in this, the increase in the benchmark rents was suspended in the spring. For the 6,700 so-called transfer apartments, for which the city of Graz has the right to refer you, you can apply for additional rent payments – a voluntary social benefit of the city. There was no increase in municipal fees in 2022.
“See clearly beyond”
However, the pandemic years in particular have also brought another important insight, “that human rights as we are now discussing them, as they are often understood broadly, are seen too narrowly and you have to look far beyond that,” says Max Aufischer Human Rights Advisory Board – therefore, in a second part of the report, the cultural year 2020/21 and the sport year 2021 will be examined from a human rights perspective.
These areas are of particular relevance for human rights – for example, sport is of central importance in integration and inclusion. “This is often the first step for children who are new to Graz, where they find themselves beyond language, where their performance is also rewarded, where they see that they have value,” says the head of the Graz sports department, Thomas Rajakovic.
Those responsible in the city want to make the multifaceted meaning of sport more tangible and tangible, and that might perhaps be reflected in the next human rights report by the city of Graz.