La Voliana is the new and our first cooperative housing project in Lleida, where we have transformed an empty building into affordable housing managed by the community.
The neighbors have celebrated the beginning of coexistence, highlighting the value of building strong communities based on mutual support, cooperation and links with the Balàfia neighborhood.
Next year we will open registrations for a new project in the municipality: 25 newly built homes on municipal land in the Joc de la Bola neighborhood.

A Sostre Cívic we are always very proud to announce the beginning of the coexistence of any project. But more so when it's the first in Lleida! La Voliana is our new and first cooperative housing project in the capital of Segrià. Located in the Balàfia neighborhood, this is much more than housing: it is a space to build a community based on cooperation, mutual support and links with the environment. Since this October, around 25 partners have been living there.

The Voliana is a building that has 13 homes of between 40 and 65 m², recovered thanks to the right of trial and retraction, a mechanism that allows the acquisition of real estate from financial institutions and allocated to social and cooperative projects. The homes are classified as Official Protection, with affordable monthly fees, around 260 euros. Each coexistence unit has contributed an initial social capital of approximately 3.000 euros. 

The building, which had never been inhabited with the exception of a vindictive occupation by the PAH, has been rehabilitated following sustainability criteria, with the installation of photovoltaic panels to reduce the energy impact and encourage self-consumption, as well as an energy monitoring system that contributes to cost reduction.

During the opening ceremony, Eva Ortigosa, member of Governing Council de Sostre Cívic, underlined the transformative value of the project: "We have recovered homes that were owned by banks and have turned them into collectively managed housing, with the principles of the social and solidarity economy, guaranteeing that members can live there in a stable and safe way."

He also intervened Marc Brugulat, technician of Ponent Cooperate, who highlighted the importance of La Voliana for the city: "We are very happy that a new housing project is coming to the city. Access to decent housing is an important problem, and initiatives like La Voliana are essential to facilitate this access.”

For its part, Dahianna Montero, spokesperson for the members of La Voliana, highlighted the community component: "We want to relate in a different way, build dynamics of mutual support and avoid speculation. In addition, we are committed to strengthening ties with the neighborhood and building community in this space as well.”

We bet on cooperative housing in Lleida 

La Voliana is just the beginning! We are already working on a new project of 25 homes in the neighborhood of Joc de la Bola, on a municipal lot given by the EMAU (Lleida Municipal Planning Company). At the beginning of next year we hope to open registrations to continue expanding the cooperative model in Lleida. With this, there will be three cooperative housing projects in Lleida: in addition to the two we are promoting from Sostre Cívic, in 2021 it was inaugurated The Shell, in a building acquired by La Fundació La Dinamo.

A Sostre Cívic we believe that another way of living is possible, and La Voliana is a clear example. We continue to work for decent, communal and sustainable housing. Lleida it's already part of our path, and this is just the beginning.