[Kishiwada City] The rapidly increasing "barrier to securing housing." Public-private partnership housing support council to solve on-site issues

The "Kishiwada City Housing Support Council," with the Kishiwada City Council of Social Welfare as its secretariat, held its first regular meeting of the fiscal year on June 30, 2026 (Tue).

This council is a public-private integrated housing support network that collaborates with the housing and welfare departments of the local government, cooperating real estate agencies in the city, and our organization as a housing support provider, to assist individuals who require special consideration in securing housing.

At the regular meeting, serious on-site issues such as consultation trends exceeding 100 cases annually, lack of emergency contacts, and isolated deaths after moving in were shared, and specific measures for citizens to continue living with peace of mind in the community were discussed.

Scene from the regular meeting

[1] Strength of gathering "on-site representatives" from administration, real estate, and welfare

The greatest feature of this council is that "practical staff members who face individuals on-site daily," such as representatives from Kishiwada City's Housing Policy Division and various welfare departments (elderly, poverty, disability, public assistance), cooperating real estate agencies in the area (2 companies), and our organization's support counselors, directly engage in discussions.

They lead regional housing support from their respective professional perspectives, transcending the boundaries of existing systems.

[2] "Urgent issues surrounding housing" reported from the field (from the business report)

The previous fiscal year's business report was presented at the regular meeting, highlighting the severity of housing acquisition difficulties and the reality of isolation.

● Over 100 consultations annually and the "emergency contact" barrier

Consultations exceeded 100 cases annually, with approximately two-thirds of them involving households receiving public assistance. Furthermore, of the contracted individuals who moved in, approximately half, or 31 people, lacked an "emergency contact person required at the time of move-in." Our organization (Social Welfare Council) facilitated their move-in by taking on the role of emergency contact.

The issue of securing housing for those without relatives is extremely serious.

● Increased use of shelters for those in poverty

There was also significant use of the "Housing Support Project for the Indigent (provision of temporary accommodation)" for individuals including victims of fires, with a total of 19 cases and 384 nights of accommodation provided.

[3] Not "just moving in and it's over." Main discussion topics at the regular meeting

While move-in support itself is progressing smoothly, new challenges related to "settling into the community after moving in" were raised by each representative, leading to lively discussions on the following realistic issues:

● Isolated deaths among younger generations and monitoring

Cooperating real estate agencies reported cases of isolated deaths among relatively younger individuals. There is an urgent need to establish systems for key safekeeping, post-move-in monitoring, and emergency response, including for those not connected to welfare services.

● Rent arrears risk and information sharing barriers

It was pointed out that timely information sharing between the administration, real estate agencies, and support organizations is a challenge regarding rent arrears after move-in for households receiving public assistance. The necessity of strengthening collaboration to enable residents to settle and continue living in the community was confirmed, as rent arrears can lead to housing loss and subsequent difficulties in rebuilding their lives.

● Shortage of barrier-free properties and consideration for utilizing vacant houses

In response to the current difficulty in securing barrier-free properties for the elderly and disabled, discussions were held on whether vacant houses, which are expected to increase in the city, could be utilized as housing support resources by sharing information about them. Concurrently, the initiative for "independent living experience" for individuals with disabilities will continue to be promoted.

[4] Message from Kishiwada City Council of Social Welfare (Secretariat)

Housing is the most crucial foundation for everyone to live a human life. However, on the ground, there are not only pre-move-in hurdles like "cannot find a house," but also a multitude of post-move-in challenges such as "becoming isolated in the community after moving in" and "financial ruin due to inability to pay rent."

Through this Housing Support Council, we will combine the strengths of administration, real estate, and welfare, and powerfully advance towards realizing a "community where everyone can live with peace of mind until the end in their familiar Kishiwada City."

◆ Contact for inquiries regarding this matter

Kishiwada City Council of Social Welfare (Secretariat of Kishiwada City Housing Support Council)

Address: 1-5-5 Noda-cho, Kishiwada City, Osaka Prefecture (within Kishiwada City Comprehensive Welfare Center)

Reception Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM (excluding holidays and year-end/New Year holidays)

Phone Number: 072-439-8255

E-mail: support@kishisyakyo.net

Official Website

https://sites.google.com/kishisyakyo.net/kyojyushien/ (Housing Support Council)

https://www.syakyo.or.jp/ (Kishiwada City Council of Social Welfare)

Contact Persons: Okawa, Yoshimura, Okahata