In recent times there have been many discussions about the allocation of approved HIS (Housing of Social Interest) and HMP (Popular Market Housing (HMP) apartments in the city of São Paulo, in particular the distortions that have occurred, in which part of the housing would not be allocated to families covered by the policy.
Recently, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the State of São Paulo filed a public civil action, still ongoing, aimed at stopping the program, mainly alleging a lack of control on the part of municipal public authorities. City Hall, in turn, created a series of rules and an inspection apparatus within the Housing Department, requiring companies to provide documentation and imposing steep fines. In September, the São Paulo city council created an ICC (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry) to investigate.
The alleged discrepancies would mainly occur in the following cases: sales to buyers whose incomes are above the ranges provided by law, without there having been adequate information on the obligation to allocate the unit to qualified families; or due to failure by such buyers for the correct purpose, including for use as private accommodation or seasonal rental. There are also debates about the existence of these units in upscale areas of the city, on the assumption that they would not meet the applicable standards, although one does not and should not veto HIS and HMPs being built in areas with the best structure and employment provision, provided that they are correctly allocated to the families that public policy seeks to reach.
However, a very important aspect of the program is not taken into account: its enormous success in providing housing to the neediest families. The creation of incentives for HIS and HMP made these projects viable, combining the Federal Program credit with the constructive incentives of São Paulo legislation.
Since then, the number of units financed by the Caixa Econômica Federal under the Minha Casa Minha Vida program (virtually all HIS) has increased enormously, from less than 10,000 units produced in 2014 to more than 60,000 units financed in 2024 alone. This represents a total of 312,569 housing units financed in the MCMV during this period. And now, in 2025, launches at MCMV now represent, for the first time in history, the majority of units launched in São Paulo.
This result deserves to be put on the agenda, and it is essential to recognize and promote the success of a public policy which has transformed access to housing in the Capital. In a much smaller number of units, there is actually evidence of deviations that should be monitored and, if indeed detected, should be subject to applicable sanctions.
The housing policy currently practiced was and continues to be of paramount importance in providing housing to the low-income population, who otherwise would not have access to decent housing. This is a program which has enjoyed enormous social success and which deserves to be highlighted. The legislation can be improved, but the relevance of the program, which aims to reduce the city’s housing deficit, cannot be ignored.
The editor, Michael França, asks each participant of the Politics and Justice space of Folha de S. Paulo to propose a song to the readers. In this text, the one chosen by Rodrigo Cury Bicalho, Nathalia Lopes and Rodrigo Passaretti it was “São Paulo”, from Premê.
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