Housing plan: service accommodation to stem the flight of doctors and nurses

The Infrastructure Annex to the DFP, concerning the so-called 'Italia Housing Plan', which is finally starting to be implemented, is expected to arrive in the Council of Ministers early next week. This involves almost one billion euro, to be invested within - hopefully - a few months on uninhabitable social housing and other interventions. The recent legislative source is the Budget Law for 2026 (No. 199/2025, Art. 1, paragraphs 783-784).

The regulations envisage an initial financial endowment of 660 million euro, earmarked for the start-up and testing phase of the plan, with resources concentrated between 2027 and 2030. Why is the 'Home Plan' being discussed here? For the simple reason that it represents an unmissable opportunity for the attractiveness of work in public health, especially for doctors and nurses. I have been talking for years about the issue, which I call hospital housing, i.e. the provision by the employing healthcare companies of service accommodation that can encourage participation in public recruitment competitions. There have been many missed opportunities, from ESM funds to PNRR Mission 6 funds, and this really should be an opportunity not to be missed. However, the political will does not seem to follow this path.

In fact, the recipients of social housing and housing at a subsidised rent are indicated in the law: young people, young couples, separated parents, the elderly, also with co-housing projects. The Plan envisages, therefore, the construction of new housing for vulnerable groups, with social housing models and residences integrated with services. However, this line remains subject to the issuance of the implementing Prime Ministerial Decree provided for by Article 1, Paragraph 402 of Law 207/2024. Regarding this last, fundamental intervention, it is singular that in the 2026 Budget Law the MIT decree was replaced with a DPCM. But the real crux of the matter is for the government to take charge of the issue of health personnel and fully include service accommodation for hospital workers in the concept of social housing.

Health care workers have an Isee that is too high to enter the public housing lists and for this they should have specific recognition. The categories identified by the law are obviously deserving of recognition and targeted interventions, but the constant emergency of recruiting - but also of holding back from the constant leaks - health workers is pressing and jeopardises the very survival of the NHS. Unless the government believes that the issue is a matter for the regions, as could also be deduced from the initiative taken some time ago by the Veneto Region, which allocated many millions for housing on the slogan 'if we cannot raise their salary to lure them here, let's give them housing. Let's reward those who work'. But if that is the case, just be clear.