Residents of the Spanish city of Barcelona and Catalonia and the region of Catalonia face a housing affordability crisis and shortage of public housing that is increasing hardship. In response, a right to use cooperative housing movement is emerging, promoting an affordable, sustainable and ethical alternative to traditional owner-occupier or private rental models. Sostre Cívic is an umbrella organisation that supports cooperative groups to purchase and/or develop buildings, usually on municipal land, and advocates for the sector in Catalonia and throughout Spain.
Its ambition is to diversify the tenure options in Catalonia’s housing market, so that in 20 to 30 years 10% of the region’s homes are cooperatives. Under the right to use model, the cooperative retains collective ownership of the property and its members are granted the right to use the dwellings indefinitely. Residents pay an initial contribution, which is returned to them if they leave, and a monthly fee similar to rent. These fees are directly related to the costs of the project and are not linked to the real estate market.
Sostre Cívic is supported by local authorities regarding land availability and through grants and subsidies. Individual projects are financed through ethical banking loans and also by the Catalan Institute of Finance. The organisation currently has 1,000 members and 17 ongoing projects in Catalonia, comprising 236 homes.
