Self-build housing cooperatives can be defined as initiatives of a groups of families who collaborate in order to build a multi-family building, thereby fulfilling their own housing needs.
There are more and more groups interested in this housing solution in Poland; however, there are still very few implementations (one project completed, two in development, including one with Habitat Poland’s support).
We believe that self-build housing cooperatives may be a model non-profit housing solution for families with a poor credit rating. This is why it tries to contribute to developing replicable financial and organizational models for self-build housing cooperatives so they become more popular in Poland.
At the moment there are numerous obstacles faced by groups who want to build self-build housing cooperatives in Poland. Above all, there is no replicable financial solution. Also, it is very difficult to obtain suitable land. It seems that self-build housing cooperatives need support from external partners, such as NGOs and municipalities.
Habitat Poland has already supported one group and this experience has allowed to make the first steps towards developing a replicable model of financing and organizing self-build housing cooperatives in Poland.
For local governments
We encourage municipalities from the Warsaw region to contact us, should they wish to cooperate with us and support the development of self-build housing cooperatives. The interested local authorities are kindly asked to contact Mateusz Piegza: mpiegza@habitat.pl
Why are self-build housing cooperatives worth of governmental support? They offer numerous benefits to the host cities:
- Economic
- Greater effectiveness of infrastructure use
- Attracting/keeping inhabitants with a large social capital
- Environmental
- Tighter spatial development (less heat losses, limited low emissions, protecting open spaces)
- Inhabitants with a higher environmental awareness
- Higher effectiveness of using social infrastructure
- Social
- Community – the core of a lively urban society
- Activation potential
- Improved security in the neighborhood
- Ability of negotiating new social services (nurseries, coworking, social gardens etc.)
- Spatial
- High quality of buildings
- Developing/adapting problematic areas
- Innovativeness
