Social Housing Projects Habitat for Humanity Poland Habitat

Social Housing Projects Habitat for Humanity Poland

Habitat for Humanity Overview • Habitat for Humanity is a Christian, non-profit, housing agency that seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. • Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent and affordable houses in partnership with lowincome families and vulnerable groups like single mothers, orphans, elderly, people with disabilities, homeless and individuals undergoing therapies. • Operating in 80 countries • Served more than 3 million people in 100 countries through housing projects • Mobilizing over 10, 000 international volunteers (Global Village) annually to provide help and to bring hope to people in need of housing.

Habitat for Humanity Poland • HFH Poland was founded in 1992, as the first Habitat presence in Europe. • We operate through a national office in Warsaw and an affiliated organisation in Gliwice. • We respond to poverty housing through a number of activities, including construction of new housing, renovations of apartments and institutions, advocacy and micro-loan programs. • So far we have created 112 housing units & helped more than 750 families in Poland.

Housing in Poland has a population of 38. 4 million. For most housing statistics, Poland scores among the worst of the EU countries: • 30% of Poles live in overcrowded spaces (>2 persons per room) • 6. 5 million Poles live in substandard conditions • 3. 2 million adults share homes with siblings or parents • Only 100, 000 new units are being built per year (only 3% by municipalities ) – 1. 5 million new affordable units are needed; meanwhile older buildings deteriorate. • Waiting lists for families in need of social housing extend 3 -7 years in metropolitan areas, and up to 15 years in smaller towns.

The Problem • The number of rental flats in Poland (municipal, communal, and in resources of social housing associations) is highly insufficient in relation to the need. It is estimated that about 60% of young people with unmet housing needs have an income which does not allow for the purchase of a flat and should be served by the social housing sector, at least at the beginning of their housing careers. • Municipalities are not financially supported by the state in the development of social housing programs. • Lack of a consistent national policy on housing causes a need to provide more flats for social rent from municipal resources for a growing number of people. • Therefore, it is necessary to build local partnerships consisting of nongovernmental organizations, local donors and local governments to join forces and urgently improve condition of existing municipal housing units as well as to look for new possibilities or financial solutions for such initiatives.

The Solution • Habitat for Humanity Poland builds cros-sectoral local partnerships where municipalities, business donors, corporate volunteers and local community are important partners; • The renovation and thermo-insulation projects targeting the tenants of social flats are constructed in a way to both become a model solution to improve alarming living conditions of the social housing tenants and to trigger activity of local municipalities in this respect; • Within the framework of its Advocacy Programme, Habitat builds a coalition of experts and launch national campaigns to impact policy changes to improve the living conditions of large numbers of people. The advocacy campaign draws examples from model solutions that are demonstrated through Habitat projects; • Habitat Poland is poised to be a source of information and expertise to government policy makers. In November 2013, HFH Poland releases an updated study of Poland’s demographic situation as it relates to housing.

Building Adaptation for Hostel and Social Housing for Families in Crisis

The Project Partners’ Roles Habitat for Humanity Poland • Providing financial support in the form of a non-profit loan for the purchase of windows, tools, construction materials and furnishing. Providing technical support and know-how. • Providing volunteer workers from corporate partners. Supervised by construction specialists, the volunteers help in the adaptation and renovation works. • Promoting the project , approaching Donors within the construction industry. MONAR-Wyszków Rehabilitation Centre • Selecting beneficiaries • Providing labour (future residents provide regular work contribution during the renovation as part of their social reintegration efforts) and playing role of local leader for social housing project implementation Wyszków Housing Association • Providing financial and technical support throughout the project Wyszków Municipal Authorities and Social Welfare Centre • Providing partial financial contribution (for roof repair), offering empty building for rent & adaptation for housing purposes, technical supervision of works

Thermo-insulation of older buildings

Thermo-insulation of older buildings • Since 2006, Habitat for Humanity Poland runs an Energy Efficiency Programme for Housing Associations and Condominiums in Poland. The experience shows, that the most deteriorated and underinvested buildings are the municipal ones. • A new global partnership of Procter & Gamble with Habitat for Humanity launched in 2013, created an opportunity to apply for financial support for the project of energy efficiency improvement that will significantly improve the housing conditions of poor families living in social flats in the two buildings, neighbouring the P&G plant. • To make thermo-insulation efficient, a complex approach is necessary: thermal insulation of the external walls and waterproof insulation of the foundations. The foundation work planned by HFH Poland, supported by P&G volunteers, triggered action on the side of municipal authorities to fund insulation of the walls. • A coalition of local partners appeared: Procter & Gamble Company, Habitat for Humanity Poland, municipal authorities and a local Committee of Residents.

Building Social Flats in Partnership with Municipalities

Help build it!

CONTACT DETAILS Cieślak Margo Salamon Magdalena Ruszkowska- National Director mobile: +48 697 979 902 msalamon@habitat. pl Programme Manager mobile: +48 697 979 901 mruszkowska@habitat. pl Fundacja HFH Poland ul. Mokotowska 55 lok. 51 00 -542 Warsaw, Poland tel/fax: (+48) 22 642 57 42 www. habitat. pl https: //www. facebook. com/Habitat. PL