Our cooperative housing model has been recognized as one of the best European initiatives in the category “More than a roof over your head – supporting communities with equal opportunities”. The verdict will be made public on June 5, during the International Social Housing Festival in Dublin, but we can already say that being a finalist for these awards is a very important step.

New international recognition for the Catalan cooperative model

Els European Responsible Housing Awards are some of the most relevant awards in the housing sector on a European scale. They are promoted by Housing Europe (the large European network of public and social housing), the International Union of Tenants I la European Commission, and aim to highlight projects that defend housing as a right, not as a speculative good.

This year, projects from 12 countries were submitted, and ours was selected as a finalist alongside initiatives from Hungary, Austria, Germany, Norway and France. All of them combine decent access to housing with community services linked to education, care or active aging. Sharing the category with these projects strengthens and inspires us.

A model that advocates collective ownership and the right of use

The jury —made up of experts from the world of housing, administration and cooperatives— particularly valued our approach: housing in collective hands, indefinite right of use and disconnection from the real estate market. A model that, with more than 550 homes in Catalonia and a social base of more than 1.900 people, has proven to be viable, scalable and transformative.

We are especially excited to share the stage with leading voices such as Barbara Steenbergen (IUT), Katharina Knapton-Vierlich (European Commission), Marcos Ros (MEP) or Andrea Colantonio (European Investment Bank). The award ceremony will take place on June 5th in Dublin, and we will be there as part of the International Social Housing Festival, a key space for debate and meeting for professionals, institutions and movements from across the continent, which just last edition was held in Barcelona.

Catalonia consolidates itself as a European benchmark

This nomination is not an isolated event. In 2019, The Board (housing cooperative in the Sants neighborhood of Barcelona) received a special mention at the same awards, and theBarcelona City Council won with its modular accommodations. In 2022, the recognition went to theCity of Mataró with a cooperative rental project. These are signs that an alternative housing model is opening up in Catalonia, with social justice, sustainability and democracy as its pillars.

We have also received other international recognitions in recent years, such as the Silver Award at the World Habitat Awards 2023 or Social Innovation Award of the European CommissionThese awards not only make us visible, but they reinforce the need for courageous policies that focus on collective and non-speculative models.

We continue to build real alternatives

Being part of the finalist projects encourages us to continue working from a cooperative perspective to guarantee the right to housing. We are convinced that the transformation of the model requires alternatives like ours: collective, stable, inclusive and rooted in the territory.