BM 65 – Housing supplement for the students of Iceland
The European Students‘ Union strongly urges the members of the Icelandic parliament, Alþingi, to adopt Björt Framtíðs‘ bill concerning students‘ rights to an individual housing supplement.
Renting prices in Iceland are at an all time high and unfortunatly a decreasing number of students are able to cover living expenses with student loans. The housing supplement is cruicial to the wellbeing of Icelandic students, many of whom count on it to cover rent.
Currently, students living together in student housing can get an individual housing supplement based on their individual income per month. Students renting and living together in the rental market receive a supplement as well. However, their supplement is based on the total income of the people living within the same house or apartment but do not neccesarily share any living costs.
It is unjust that some students receive a much smaller amount per month or even no housing supplement because of how much money another party living under the same roof earns.
Björt Framtíðs‘ bill is a matter of equality for the students of Iceland. The bill will help relieve the financial burden placed on students, ultimately improving their living conditions. This will result in more freedom for students to focus on the academia, leading to a highly skilled workforce that benefits the society as a whole.
