26 September 2024, at noon
Cineplexx, Kranj

On 20 September, Štefan Simončič, representative of the EPEKA Association and the project’s mastermind, will present the EPEKA project – a housing cooperative for all – to a full hall of young people in Kranj .

The EPEKA project – a housing cooperative for all, addresses a housing problem that is currently one of the most widespread in Europe and beyond. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), housing costs are currently rising faster than incomes in most EU countries. This, together with the energy crisis, urban gentrification and the rise of rental housing for tourist purposes, has created a difficult situation that affects everyone.

However, if we focus on affordable housing for young people, we can identify a major problem affecting young people most in Europe’s urban centres, especially in the capitals, which is why young adults in the EU are still living with their parents, even though they are employed, because they are paid wages that are too low for them to be able to solve their housing problem, and their housing problem is of a permanent nature.

The EPEKA project – a housing cooperative for all, offers a solution to this problem by promoting the housing cooperative model. This form of cooperative society is already successfully operating in many European cities and regions, where housing cooperatives give people access to more affordable rental housing. Housing associations come in all shapes and sizes – some have just one building, owned jointly by a group of people. Why does this not work here?

Within the EPEKA project – Housing Cooperatives for All, we have already prepared plans and documentation for the creation of the first private housing cooperative in Slovenia, which will consist of 16 flats. At the same time, we were the first in Slovenia to set up an SCE legal body, the European Housing Cooperative EPEKA, an SCE with limited liability. The project also includes a number of social innovations focused on sustainable living and the green and digital transition. The aim is to increase participation and democracy in community processes, both in the housing cooperative and in life in general.

The project EPEKA – Housing Cooperative for All, is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport, within the Public Call for proposals for the development of cooperative and social economy projects 2023-2024.

The Association EPEKA, Soc: Ent.,is supported by: