Madrid is already making the most of intergenerational housing. It is a model in which the rent price is reduced in exchange for the tenants of the elderly people who usually live in them. It is a leasing model aimed, mainly, to the youngest.
How do intergenerational homes work?
Specifically, these types of houses called “intergenerational” what they do is reduce the price of rent for young people depending on the time they spend helping older people. A model that has already arrived in Madrid through an initiative of the Municipal Company of Housing and Land. In this way, in the public body have presented this model of housing to give a new life to certain areas of the capital.
For the moment, this initiative will focus on the area of ??the former colonies of San Francisco Javier and Our Lady of the Angels located in Vallecas. This way I could start this project that, although it was devised years ago, has not yet started yet. It would be a proposal that focuses on the core of the city and not on the outskirts or isolated urbanization. All this will make the integration of the residents in the neighborhood is much greater.
It would be a building that will have a library, a gym, a cafeteria, a laundry, gardens and multipurpose spaces. The housing will be one and two bedrooms. All these amenities with a single objective: guarantee the well-being of residents and the enjoyment of the neighbors of the neighborhood. In addition it would make the coexistence was something really effective and real.
What system do they use?
Through a system known as “time bank”, young people will be able to take care of the elderly and benefit from this measure. Their role will be to talk with them, to accompany the doctor or to help with some housework. They, in return, through a “social contract”, can enjoy a much reduced rent. This final reduction will be applied according to the hours that they dedicate to the majors. T
he final price of the rent will depend on a unit of value; The time. Thus, beyond the service offered or received, the rental rate for housing will be based on the hours that the young people devote to the care of the elderly.
As for the people who can join this model, it is fair to say that the choice of the participants will be borne by the company of the City Council. This company as well as social services staff will be in charge of constant monitoring to ensure that the social contract they sign is fulfilled.
This project goes out to competition immediately. So the architects will be able to present their proposals and those responsible for this project will be able to choose the company that is going to execute the work. All this will make it possible, by the next summer of 2018, to start the works.
More details on intergenerational housing
“Intergenerational housing” is not something new in Spain. It should be remembered that this concept was already implemented in 2008 in the city of Alicante, becoming a pioneer area in Spain in this regard. So much so that there are 72 floors of this style, based, as we say, in the coexistence between older people and young people. Thus the older people can improve their living conditions and younger people can more easily access housing, something especially important now that the sector goes back the flight.
