The right to a home: Spain’s cooperative answer to the housing crisis

As Spain faces a deepening housing crisis, a Barcelona-based cooperative offers an alternative to renting and buying. Its non-profit, right-to-use model provides affordable, long-term homes. Could it help tackle Europe's housing crisis?

Spain's housing crisis has sparked mass protests across the country. In October, it culminated in a call for snap elections which will occur in late November. The final straw was the case of Maricarmen Abascal, who was evicted at the age of 87 from the apartment where she had lived for more than 70 years. She died two weeks later, becoming the face of the fight for the right to housing in Spain and a symbol of a crisis affecting the whole of Europe.

Barcelona has been one of the cities at the heart of the protests, but it is also a hub for the development of an alternative housing model promoted by the non-profit cooperative Sostre Cívic.

“Until now, access to housing in Spain has been based on two options: buying or renting. This model is outdated and responsible for the current housing crisis,” explained José Téllez, Sostre Cívic’s Head of Communication.

Sostre Cívic has pioneered Spain’s right-to-use model, in which the cooperative owns the property while its members have the permanent right to live in their homes.

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