5.QC LGU

At the Socialized Housing Forum, Atty. Joselito Conejero of the Quezon City Housing, Community Development and Resettlement Department presented how Quezon City is shifting its housing strategy away from a one-size-fits-all approach and toward a broader system centered on access, affordability, and long-term sustainability.

Rather than relying solely on traditional homeownership models, the city has developed multiple housing pathways—including rental housing, direct land acquisition, transition housing, off-city relocation, and participation in the national 4PH Program.

Underlying this strategy is a recognition that the city’s housing challenge is driven by two core issues:

availability and affordability.

Local data shows that more than 70% of informal settler families in Quezon City have an average monthly household income of only around P13,000, making conventional homeownership financially unrealistic for many households.

At the same time, housing production struggles to keep pace with demand. According to Conejero, completing a standard mid-rise housing project can take two to three years, while the number of families requiring assistance continues to grow. This mismatch has pushed the city to explore alternative approaches that prioritize immediate access to decent housing.

One of the city’s most notable initiatives is its Rental Housing Program, institutionalized through Ordinance No. SP-3016, s-2021. Under the program, qualified beneficiaries can access rental housing units within Quezon City for as low as P800 per month, with additional association dues in projects that include elevators and shared amenities.

The ordinance was designed around the concept of “housing stress,” ensuring that housing-related expenses remain below 20% of household income so that residents can still meet other basic needs. Since its adoption in 2021, the city has recorded over 4,200 rental housing beneficiaries.

This marks a significant shift in local housing policy.

Rather than viewing rental housing as temporary or secondary, Quezon City treats it as a legitimate and sustainable form of housing access—particularly for low-income households who may not yet be ready for long-term amortization.

To expand availability, the city has also pursued partnerships with the private sector.

A major example is the acquisition of the Urban Deca Homes Commonwealth development, a high-rise condominium project with 2,669 units developed by 8990 Housing Development Corporation. The project, which includes studio to three-bedroom units and shared amenities, was converted into part of the city’s rental housing pool to immediately provide available housing stock for low-income residents.

This strategy reflects a practical response to the time constraints of building entirely new projects from scratch. Instead of waiting years for completion, the city can directly acquire existing developments and deploy them for socialized housing use.

At the same time, Quezon City has modified aspects of the traditional Community Mortgage Program (CMP) through its Direct Sale Program.

Under this approach, the city government directly acquires land from private owners and transfers security of tenure to beneficiaries. Between 2020 and 2025, the program benefited more than 22,000 households and facilitated the acquisition of nearly 90 hectares of land.

Conejero explained that this model addresses some limitations encountered in conventional CMP arrangements, particularly issues related to shared community ownership and the financial burden placed on homeowners’ associations for taxes and open spaces.

By placing land titles directly under the city government, Quezon City assumes greater responsibility for managing public spaces and reducing costs passed on to beneficiaries.

For households requiring immediate shelter, the city also maintains transition housing facilities for families affected by disasters such as fires and floods, while continuing to coordinate with the National Housing Authority for off-city relocation in areas such as Bulacan and Rizal.

Still, Conejero noted that many residents prefer off-city relocation only when land ownership is possible, reflecting the continuing importance of land tenure in housing decisions.

Beyond shelter itself, the city is also integrating livelihood considerations into housing developments.

Commercial spaces within projects are designed to support local economic activity, with policies requiring that a portion of workers employed in these establishments come from beneficiary communities. The city is likewise encouraging the formation of housing cooperatives and giving community-based enterprises preferential access to commercial areas.

These measures reflect a broader understanding that housing must function not only as a place to live, but as part of a larger urban ecosystem connected to employment, services, and social stability.

Ultimately, Quezon City’s approach highlights an important shift in thinking:

that solving the housing crisis is not simply about producing more units, but about creating flexible systems that respond to how people actually live and what they can realistically afford.

In this framework, the focus moves from closing the housing gap in theory to expanding genuine housing access in practice.