Matrix Housing Partnership is a Midlands based development and regeneration partnership which aims to achieve efficiencies in procurement, management and service delivery.
Accord, Ashram, Caldmore, Rooftop, Trent and Dove and Trident Housing Associations, each bring their own experiences and expertise to this partnership, providing a proven track record in areas such as rural and urban renaissance, community cohesion and diversity.
The visit comprised of representatives of the housing associations executive teams,
boards and local town planners and counsellors.
The aim of the visit was to look
at;
1. The
Care and Support environment in Germany and their approach to care provision
2. To
discover sustainable and green development within the region.
3. To
explore relevant models and approaches that could be adopted and adapted within
the UK
Key Lessons
·
Significant capital investment and subsidy has
created huge change and impact in a short period of time (c40yrs)
·
District wide approach to housing solutions,
incorporating clear needs assessment for target market
·
Engagement in co-design, and ownership is key
·
Town Plan to sustainable development- above and
beyond country targets including significant developments of Passivhaus
·
Innovative, area wide approach to social care to
reduce burden on paid-for services
·
Wind Turbines and Biomass Heating offer both great Social and Financial return on
investment.
·
Social enterprises are active in the area but do
not self-identify as social entrepreneurs/ social enterprise and are
‘generally’ unfamiliar with terms
Day 1- An Introduction into sustainable development in Freiburg and why
this area in particular
Freiburg is the greenest city in
Europe catalysed by a resistance that started in 1975 to the building of power
plants in the area. The largest planned density of power plants for the area
was planned and local communities successfully thwarted plans with only a
handful being built. This, along with a change in the political climate from 58
years of conservative to a shift to a coalition of the green party and social
democratic party created an opportunity to create a sustainable development
plan for the area. In 1986 an Energy Supply concept was created for Freiburg to
create a reduction in energy usage, cogeneration (displacing nuclear usage by
burning which is more efficient) and renewable energy. The nearest power plant is due to be closed
in 2016, which is a great achievement for the area, one at high risk of
earthquake, with the plant only 1m above water level.
The sustainable development plan
laid out the goal for Freiburg: To become a district of short distances.
Car ownership is being replaced
by the bike, in Germany car ownership per 100 residents is at 55 vehicles in
100 whereas in Freiburg it is 35/100.
This consists of the development
of the Passivhaus,
energy efficient buildings that reduce carbon footprint through careful construction
and design for ultra-efficient energy use and heat retention.
A walking tour of the town reveals careful
reconstruction of the town following devastation during World War II. At the heart of this reconstruction is a
pedestrian zone which has enabled the attractive and vibrant centre to
Flourish. New developments include the ambitious extension of the pedestrian
zone and the extension of the tramline in order to create a car free but
accessible centre.
Day 2- Caritas
An introduction to the social
care system in Germany from a representative of Caritas, a non-statutory
welfare association provided insight into the structure of care, and how it is
paid for!
Social Care in Germany is made up
of 5 Pillars.
·
Statutory
Care Insurance- 15% of gross income to finance, 50% of this contribution
comes from the employer
·
Statutory Accident Insurance- Fixed
rate per month
·
Statutory
Old Age pension scheme- 18.9% on income, 50% employer/ employee- (Women also have to pay a nominal amount
if they are on benefits to contribute to this.)
·
Statutory
Unemployment Insurance- 3% of
monthly income
·
Introduced in 1994 is an Statutory ‘Old Age’
insurance 2.5% without children, 2.3% with children
The Social care system is based
on voluntary and statutory ‘professional services’ which provide two services;
in home care services, and services in a care home.
The costs for providing the care are
about the same whether someone remains in their own home, or enters a care home
but due to the upheaval, spaces and wellbeing, it is preferred to maintain as
much independence as possible. The cost of care per month is around €3-4k is
employing a German worker or €1,600-€2,000 for a Polish worker. Economic
migration of Polish workers is very common. Polish workers have to be
registered with a German provider but usually work for a short period of around
3 months at any one time which although cheap, provides inconsistency in care. In Freiburg there are 31 in home care
providers, both private and independent and whilst there is some regulation the
operating environment is vastly different to the UK. There is much less focus
on safeguarding and regulation than is imposed in the UK which allows for more
and easier to implement innovation within the sector.
A significant contribution
towards care is expected from the individual which is the cause of a lot of
debate and political tensions as pensioners are struggling to cover the costs
of care themselves. This is creating challenges for statutory and voluntary
providers but also innovation and opportunities such as:
Enrolling on a voluntary year of
social service (which in part replaced male conscription which ended in 2011)
available to students leaving school supported by the federal government. This
includes free or low cost accommodation, the placement is paid and the
individuals also receive low level qualifications. Young people provide low
levels of support to older people to enable them to maintain independence for
longer. The scheme encourages new people into the sector and provides
opportunities for school leavers to gain valuable experience as well as
supporting the sector.
There is also a partnership with
the student union where students who are struggling to find accommodation can
live with an older person in need of support, not care, to carry out duties in
and for the home in exchange for accommodation. The rule of thumb is that for
each 1sqm they expect 1-2 hours of voluntary time, around 20-30 hours per
month. Typically a student will help clean the house, do food shopping, support
the resident to go into town for example.
The relationship is brokered by
Caritas and the Student Union but the contract is managed by the student and
older person who must be compos-mentis in order to participate. Care duties are
not covered under this scheme.
Rieselfeld- Freiburg’s biggest new district
Started in 1994 by a professor of
social studies in Freiburg, Rieselfeld was developed to;
·
Address the huge housing issues within a growing
and appealing town where at the point of starting there were 6,000 people on
Freiburg’s emergency housing list. The district created 12,000 new homes
·
Create a district of density and diversity,
built on land previously used to treat waste water
·
Contrary to the deficit approach to social
services the plan was to do preventative social work building this into the
support and infrastructure for the district.
·
Link to the town- the development of the tram
link was completed in 1997
·
Of the Rieselfeld area 320ha (hectares), 70 ha
used as new residential area with the rest being ring-fenced as a nature
reserve.
·
The local church (pictured) houses both
Protestant and Catholics within the same building which local faith groups
agreed upon and co-designed with the architects and offers a striking building
that when necessary can be split for dual use.
The area was intended to meet the
needs of families, which critically due to the density of the housing was
co-designed, owned and produced by the residents themselves. Essentially, given
the majority of the accommodation comprises of flats, a significant area is
preserved as nature reserve to enable access to green space.
KIOSK (Contact, Information, Organisation, Self Help, Culture), who literally operated
initially as a KIOSK was established to begin the process of convening future
residents of the district to take ownership of the design of the area and their
homes. They initially sold goods such as newspapers/ bread etc… and stopped as
facilities began to open in line with the development of the area.
Visually, the area boasts a
diverse range of buildings designed by architects commissioned by groups of
residents which offer a unique and attractive district which is entirely
un-uniform.
Home to the biggest school in the
region, perhaps Germany serving the 33% under 18 years population, compared to
18% in Freiburg.
Riselfeld; Planning and the challenges
Urban Quality
-
Intention to accommodate 10,000-11,000 people
-
High density with 3-5 storey buildings
-
District without barriers
-
City of short distances
Mixed use shop/ houses
-
An attractive residential area
-
Creation of 1,000 jobs
-
Mixed use shop/ houses for trade and services
along the Rieselfeld alley
-
Central shopping opportunities
-
Commercial and mixed use area
-
Specific building complex at the entrance of the
district for commercial use
Balance of structures and housing forms
-
Combination of privately financed and subsidised
housing construction
-
Various housing forms
-
Ground- plans suitable for families, women and
children
-
Public participation
-
Model projects ( e.g. Stadt and Frau’ private
building communities , reasonably priced construction)
-
Local district social worker services
Various construction forms
-
Small building lots and variety of designs
-
Diversity of target groups and building types
-
Partly living without barriers
A Well-developed private and public infrastructure
-
Primary school with gymnasium
-
Secondary school
-
Sports hall
-
Independent Waldorf school
-
Tram
-
Local meeting centre with mediothek (media
centre) for children and young adults and youth work
-
Facilities for children
-
Churches
-
Shopping facilities
-
Private services
-
Station for fire brigade equipment
High quality leisure time
-
Public green spaces
-
Private courtyards for common use
-
Nearby recreational areas
-
Sport and leisure areas
-
An ‘experience nature’ path
-
Leisure area ‘Wald3eck’
Environmentally orientated
-
Low energy building (65kWh/m2a)
-
District heating connection
-
Priority for the tram
-
Speed limit 30 km/h over the whole district
-
Concept for rainwater use with drainage in the
district and in western Rieselfeld
-
Western Rieselfeld as a nature reserve
The city of Freiburg has set up a
special management group for the ‘Rieselfeld’ project in cooperation with the
‘Kommunalentwicklung LEG GmbH’ (German version of social enterprise – SEFORIS
State of Social Entrepreneurship report), Stuttgart
Quality and local life
Committed district management
with comprehensive services for investors and a variety of participatory processes,
already provides a highly attractive local life with a high level of resident
satisfaction. Successful interaction between the active local civic
association, the local KIOSK- organisation and the parish authorities are a
prerequisite for this.
2003 development of the Glashous,
(Glasshouse) a community building, prompted interest from a number of charities
and community organisations who wanted ownership of the building. Instead the local
community took ownership and there are over 100 keys looked after by residents
of the local area. Very visible and active community engagement can be seen and
participation and ownership of space- including a café which is run partly by
volunteers is integral to the area thriving.
Citizen financed renewable energy
This community of 4,300
inhabitants produces 200% of their electricity needs from renewable energies.
Five wind turbines produce electricity for more than 3,000 households, amongst
them, the highest wind turbine of the black forest with an overall height of
179m. The turbines are financed by several hundred private individuals, mainly
from the region. The cost of the turbine is around €3-4m and despite producing
leaflets to promote the investment opportunity, the founder has never had the
leaflets printed due to oversubscription of investors.
The area also boasts 80ha farm
with a biogas plant that produces over one million kilowatt hours of
electricity annually and delivers heat for 14 apartments and the local
elementary school. The buildings have three roofs producing solar electricity
at a peak rate of 50 kilowatts.
Day 3
The Model District Vauban
Vauban is a ‘Green City’ with a
Green hotel, several Passivhaus’ and a rich history in its development. One of
my favourite sights in the area was that of a traveller site in which the
residents insisted on allowing for in the area. This was due to the fact that
they occupied a space wanted by developers for a new office building where the
community opposed the building stating that there was no use for such a
development in the area. After a long political battle they won and in its
place now stand’s the Green Hotel. The residents opened a new site to allow the
occupiers of the original camp to remain in the community and they chose to do
so.
Similar to Riselfeld, the area
has fantastic links into Freiburg with a Tram system that as much as possible
runs over grass which cuts out a significant amount of noise pollution. In
fact, this was one of the most distinctive features of Vauban as it was
fantastically quiet.
In fact, the residents were so
insistent that they did not want cars in the area that they overcame planning
law to realise their vision. Planning law regulates that new buildings must
allow one car parking space per apartment however in an area where 16 for every
100 residents own a vehicle what’s the point? In the photograph of the ‘car
park’ you will see an area of land allocated as a future development site for parking
should this be required which allowed residents to avoid building two car parks
in the area. This land is protected for this use but in the meantime is used as
an allotment with the below structure and in fact the residents would be very opposed to development of
this land should the need arise.
An Intergenerational housing project
This building was built according
to the 40 kWh/m2 standard of primary energy consumption and with ecological
building materials. The project interestingly combines co-ownership, council
housing, a special area for people with Alzheimer disease and tertiary
premises, integrating housing for older people with an area for disabled
younger persons and offers apartments for general needs too.
New Social Housing Cooperative
Founded in 1997 two young housing
co-operatives offer space for 200 inhabitants of all generations living in
mostly barrier- free buildings. Aspects of ecological construction were of
equal importance to the promotion of social interaction.
The first Co-op was started by 5 parents with
children who had learning disabilities. They were concerned about the lack of
support and prospects for their children and wanted to establish something that
would enable them to become independent.
The co-op was started to create a
building which included a mix of individuals with and without disabilities and
including intergenerational living. The building was financed on two pillars.
Individuals who invest and do not live in the accommodation invest €40,000 with
3% interest and €30,000 for those that do.
Individuals who live in the accommodation are able to contribute a
minimum of €5,000 personally and get the additional €25,000 in solidarity
through friends and family members. In addition, a government scheme allows
people to purchase shares in the co-operatives which they pay back over time.
They do not rebalance the shares if the property value increases.
To set rents they do not follow
the market, they cover only their costs. This makes the accommodation very
attractive to older individuals who struggle with care costs.
The co-op is run by a director
who reports to the assembly of members which stands at 200 people and offers
challenges as well as high interaction and involvement as there is no
distinction between resident and non-resident investors. This small co-op has
high identification with the decision making and running of the organisation. Co-op
members are a part of working groups which take care of the garden, community organising
and visitor flats. Visitor flats are common to avoid over accommodating and
provide a place for friends and family to stay over without the need for extra
bedrooms.
The building comprises 1
community apartment is the 5 original families with 24 hour support. There are
an additional 6 people with learning disabilities who have lesser needs with
their own flat with shared communal facilities. There is a communal room for
all residents to share and 12 individuals with physical disabilities and
require care, this is unique as younger disabled people are usually placed in
older care service provision. 78 people in 45 apartments who have no additional
support needs. The building cost €8million to complete which demonstrates the
high capital costs required for this type of project but the building is entirely
access friendly which contributed to some of the higher building costs.
Germany is in its infancy with
personal budgets but is adopting a similar system to that in the UK in which
individuals ‘employ’ their carer. In the building they employ someone to
support the residents with managing their personal budgets.
Genova Co-op
Has a similar investment
structure to the previous co-op and they are particularly pleased that they are
able to reduce rents to a significantly lower rate than market rent and so the
1st generation who invested in the building are also benefitting
from reduced rental costs.
Typically they receive one third
high engagement, one third sporadic and one third limited engagement from
residents.
I must thank the Matrix Housing Partnership and Trident Social Investment Group for the opportunity to visit Freiburg, and Katie
Kershaw for allowing me to use some of her images, you can see more of her wonderful photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/128498773@N06/
