Co-housilience

developing cohousing in the EU for forward- looking societies

The project

The project concerns the construction of a cohousing in Padova, Italy by Cooperativa FAI Padova as the leading partner and comparison of strategies and good practices in cohousing with other 7 European organizations: MDAT (Greece), Odisee University (Belgium), Caracol Association (France), Cooperativa sociale ATYPICA arl (Italy), Consorcio Andaluz de Impulso Social (CAIS)(Spain), Community Land Trust Bruxelles (Belgium), and Associacao Animam Viventem (Portugal). Starting from November 2023, the project lasts 30 months to foster the social inclusion of vulnerable people and to contribute to the creation of inclusive environments that promote equity, equality and resilience of communities.

The specific objectives of the project are :

The development of bottom-up centers called “Community Hub” as generative nuclei managed by cohouser and citizens in collaboration with local stakeholders (citizens, institutions, third sector actors and businesses), to promote social innovation and community building.

To increase the skills of social workers active in specialized third sector organizations operating in the field, to support cohousers in becoming community leaders able to design and manage “Community Hub ”, which will serve as a reference point for social innovation and a lifelong learning platform for the local community and stakeholders.

Partners

Cooperativa Sociale FAI Padova – It is a historic reality in the Padua area with more than 40 years of service. The Cooperative was founded and established in 1984 with the main objective of providing assistance to the elderly through home interventions to avoid or, at least delay, their entry into residential facilities. (link)

Associação Animam Viventem – Using the slogan Vida+Viva, is a nonprofit association in Portugal, based in the municipality of Cascais (25Km from Lisbon). The Association aims to promote the well-being of people, intervening at a psychosocial and educational level. (link)

ATYPICA – It was born from a pedagogical and educational project capable of observing and listening to the dynamics of a constantly changing society. The development of projects aimed at children, adolescence and young people become the basis of the Cooperative’s experience. (link)

CAIS – The Consorcio Andaluz de Impulso Social is a cooperative group dedicated to social innovation for the Third Sector and the SSE. (link)

Caracol – it is the first model of temporary, multicultural and supportive shared accommodation in France. (link)

CLTB – Forever affordable housing in Brussels. (link)

MDAT – Major Development Agency Thessaloniki is a development organization for the local development of many Municipalities in Greece. (link)

ODISEE – It is a university of applied sciences with 6 campuses. Each campus is dynamic centre of education, research and social services, located at the heart of Belgium. (link)

Community Hub

In order for the Cohousilience project to address the most relevant Erasmus Plus Adult Education priority of “Promoting local learning centers and innovative learning spaces”, five “Community Hubs” are to be established and experimented in four Eu countries (2 in Italy, 1 in Greece, 1 in Belgium, and 1 in France), where citizens living in cohousing projects will be supported in scaling up their experiences, and the cohousing establishments will be transformed into “social innovation and generative centers” interlinked to their social, environmental and economic ecosystems.
The Community Hubs are bottom-up forward-looking centers aimed at increasing the resilience of their inhabitants and becoming reference sites for their social environment (local institutions, third sector organizations, citizens), based on their capacity of innovating social relationships and forward-looking proposals for the community which will serve as reference points for social innovation and lifelong learning platform.
Moreover, the project predicts the development of a Cohousing Community APP to link the Eu Community Hubs with each other and put volunteers, social workers, stakeholders etc. in contact with people asking for basic help; the development of this APP will start from an already existing community building app, called Aiutapp, developed by FAI Padova Cooperative as the Lead Partner in the cohousilience project. The App will then be co-developed and upgraded in partnership with other project partners.
Here are the different Community Hub:

– Padua
– Turin
– Belgium
– France
– Gracia

Social contacts

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Project resources

The Cohousing Handbook is here!

After 30 months of collaboration, experimentation, and learning across Europe, we are proud to announce that our Cohousilience Handbook is now available online!

A practical and inspiring guide designed for:

1. Future cohousers dreaming of intentional communities

2. Community leaders building inclusive spaces

3. Public institutions exploring new housing policies

4. Facilitators, architects, social workers and changemakers

Inside you’ll find:

1. Tools, methods and participatory dynamics

2. Case studies from 7 European countries

3. Frameworks for governance, sustainability and social cohesion

4. Strategies to build real, resilient and inclusive communities

From dreaming to designing, from legal forms to daily life together — this guide supports you in turning collective housing into collective power.

Click here to find more