Housing co-operatives for mutual help have launched a campaign to address the lack of housing in Paraguay. The campaign, themed “In Co-operation is a lot better”, is led by the Centre for Mutual Help Housing Co-operatives (la Central de Cooperativas de Vivienda por Ayuda Mutua), with support from We Effect (the Swedish Co-operative Centre). As part of the campaign, housing co-ops will run workshops for those interested in the model.
According to the organisation, over 800,000 families live in precarious conditions in Paraguay. The centre argued that the co-operative model is better suited to meet people’s housing needs, being more effective and economically viable than other solutions. Co-operatives can build more with fewer resources and have greater social impact.
The state is also backing the model, having granted G23bn (€3.59m) in loans for a co-operative development programme called Foncoop. Housing co-operatives are also able to apply for loans from the state in order to build more houses. Interest rates vary between 0 to 5%. Read more here (in Spanish).
