BEIJING, May 26 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said on Tuesday that it will guide local governments across the country to optimize their public rental housing policies, thereby helping ensure access to urban housing for a broader range of residents.
Specifically, local housing authorities will move to set eligibility criteria for households that have a permanent residence but lack local household registration to apply for public rental housing, Xu Liang, a ministry official, said at a press conference.
Once a household meets the requirements, it will be promptly added to the waiting list for public rental housing, Xu noted. The ministry will bring in professional organizations to operate and manage public rental housing, and continue improving public infrastructure, to help residents better integrate into urban life, Xu added.
Safeguarding housing security is a key part of guidelines recently issued by the State Council, which aim to ensure that residents without local household registration enjoy the same access to basic public services as those with local household registration, known as hukou in Chinese.
These guidelines also outline measures to strengthen educational support for migrant children, lift household registration restrictions on participation in employee social insurance, and widen access to basic medical coverage and employment services.
On the employment front, relevant local departments will set up employment service stations near residents' homes and ensure that all workers can access employment services on an equal footing with local residents where they live, said Zhang Lixin, an official with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.
Efforts will also be made to encourage regions nationwide to organize targeted job fairs by industry, position and demographic group, Zhang added. ■
