Housing Europe

The Laboratory represents the University of West Attica in the activities of HOUSING EUROPE – The European Federation of Public Cooperative and Social Housing, given that the University is since 2017 – as the successor of the Athens University of Applied Sciences (TEIA) – the first Academic Partner of HOUSING EUROPE.

 

Gabriel Amitsis – Professor TEIA, Sorcha Edwards – General Secretary HOUSING EUROPE and Michalis Bratakos – President ΤΕΙA (Athens, 28 March 2017)

 

Established in 1988, HOUSING EUROPE is a network of 45 national and regional Federations which together gather about 43.000 public, social and cooperative housing providers in 24 countries. Altogether they manage over 26 million homes, about 11% of existing dwellings in the EU. It has also 6 national partners that promote the values and principles of affordable housing in the countries concerned.

 

 

Social, public and co-operative housing providers have a vision of a Europe which provides access to decent and affordable housing for all in communities which are socially, economically and environmentally sustainable and where everyone is enabled to reach their full potential. Therefore, they do not just provide affordable homes but a number of other services such as:

  • Domiciliary care and support services for residents with specific needs
  • Additional services for tenants (kindergartens,  community centres, employment and training services, financial advice)
  • Neighbourhood services
  • Management of other types of ‘sheltered’ accommodation
  • Urban development and urban regeneration

Housing Europe created in 2004 as its research branch the Observatory, in order to identify research needs and analyse key trends in the field of housing and social housing at European level, and thus support Housing Europe’s policy work by providing strategic and evidence-based analysis. Besides from regularly publishing its own reports and research briefings, the Observatory participates into a number of EU-funded research projects and liaises with European and international agencies and networks such as OECD, UNECE, ENHR.

 

Housing Europe also created in November 2017 the Ad Hoc Working Group in support of countries with housing systems in transition, with the aim to facilitate the exchange of hands-on practices that could serve national, regional and local needs. Prof. Amitsis has been elected and serves as the Vice-Chair of this Working Group for Housing Systems in Transition.

 

Edit Lacatos – Housing Europe, Gabriel Amitsis – Professor TEIA and Ozgur Oner – Housing Europe (Prague, 13 November 2017)

 

This Working Group serves as a platform to bring together current or former experts from Housing Europe Members and experts recommended by Members from e.g. academia or other entities specializing in housing. Ιt is mainly focusing on the exchange of hands-on practices that could serve regional and local needs.

The Laboratory represents also the University of West Attica as the national partner for the monitoring of the Memorandum of Understanding between HOUSING EUROPE and the City of Athens, that was signed in April 2019 in Athens to promote evidence-based initiatives to design, implement, monitor and evaluate local sustainable decent and affordable housing policies and projects in the Municipality of Athens, using both innovative measures and best practices developed by public, social and cooperative housing providers across Europe.

 

Panagiotis Kaldis – UNIWA Rector, Cédric Van Styvendael – President Housing Europe and Gabriel Amitsis – UNIWA Professor (MoU signatures at the Athens City Hall, 17 April 2019)

 

The MoU outlines, inter alia the following objectives:

  1. a) cooperation between the two parties for the promotion of local social housing policies and programmes in Athens
  2. b) the establishment of a Social Housing Observatory in Athens with the support of Housing Europe, particularly through its Ad Hoc Working Group in support of countries with housing systems in transition and its Observatory
  3. c) the identification of national and international funding tools for housing.

 

Gabriel Amitsis – UNIWA Professor, Michalis Goudis – Housing Europe, George Kaminis – Mayor of Athens, Maria Stratigaki – Vice Mayor for Social Affairs and Cédric Van Styvendael – President Housing Europe (MoU signatures at the Athens City Hall, 17 April 2019)

 

You may find further information in the official website of HOUSING EUROPE http://www.housingeurope.eu, and → Get in touch with the Brussels team.