Anoeta, unlike many other peoples, has a lot of public land to be able to carry out its own housing policy. Municipalities usually promote appraised or officially protected housing, and the City of Anoeta, with the intention of exploring other alternatives, this year has launched a study. The municipal group Duna has led the process and on Tuesday, in the municipal library, presented the conclusions of the analysis of the different housing options that exist in the municipality.

As explained by Koldo Telleria, of the Duna group, during the process they have tried to contact society and have held meetings with the owners, with those who are looking for a house or with young people from the locality. Likewise, a number of technical tasks have been carried out, addressing the largest number of issues related to housing.

“We have analyzed the low plants of Anoeta and we have seen that in the village there are quite a few possibilities; there are spaces that can be for residential use, that meet the conditions of accessibility, ventilation and space,” said Telleria. Through surveys and interviews conducted during these months among citizens, it has been concluded that the dwellings in Anoeta are now larger than people want. ‘The possibility of dividing large dwellings into two in order to meet the current needs can be assessed.’

The members of the Duna group have met with 12 homeowners and asked them about the housing they have empty. “Because they use it as a storage room, or in the case of landlords, because they have a garden or use it during weekends, the owners are not aware that they have an empty home.” Regarding the possibility of renting, half of them were willing to do so even though they expressed their fear: “Because many have had a bad experience or simply because they distrust culturally rented. The owners ask to be known people and to have a guarantee that they will be paid.’

TELLERIA has emphasized that in recent years there has been an increase in the demand for housing in Anoeta. Regarding the data provided by Etxebide, it is observed that in localities such as Villabona or Tolosa, demand has decreased, while in medium-sized localities such as Anoeta. On the contrary, the websites that offer housing on the Internet in Tolosaldea only show seven homes for rent in Anoeta none.

Therefore, following the presentation in March, the village youth requested the Dunas group to organize a workshop on new housing models, to study other options besides free and free housing for sale or habitual rent.

Use cooperatives

And there are models. Housing transfer cooperatives have been established in northern Europe or in the Catalan countries. “The City Hall can carry out housing policies on the ground floor or in houses or in bifurcation of large dwellings. To do this, it is right to change the regulations, but we want to call on society to change its attitude so that it is actively involved in the definition and sharing of housing models. So far we have had no choice but to wait: there is a market and the only loophole that allows us to intervene is to rent or buy.'

In Anoeta, a different model can be developed. Unlike many other municipalities, the City Hall has land for the construction of protected housing. “The Administration wants to put these lands in the hands of the citizens and ensure access to housing for the inhabitants of Anoeta, but for this the society has to organize it,” said Telleria.

One of the models is the constitution of a transfer of use cooperative. In Donostia-San Sebastián, for example, they are doing that work in the Abaraska group. ‘The process is left to the partners of the cooperative from start to finish. In short, they agree with each other how to build the dwelling, what surface each cabin needs, what common spaces to build... It can be a one- or two-year process, and along the way they form a community. Learning is an important process for getting to know us and building sovereign models of life.”

It is a process that brings a lot of work, but Telleria sees the possibility of starting such a dynamic in Anoeta: ‘We will now present the conclusions of the investigation to the City Hall and if we consider the possibility of creating a cooperative, we would be willing to cooperate, to offer training and to bring experiences from other places’. To form a critical mass that is willing to work for another housing model, the members of the Duna group have mentioned the possibility of spreading to Tolosaldea, “because these promotions need a considerable number of homes to be profitable”.

There are also interesting experiences in Euskal Herria. “In Vitoria-Gasteiz or Usurbil, for example, communities are being formed that want to live in common. A lot of people wonder how they want to age. In a residence? Alone at home? They're working on building communities for active aging, sharing living spaces with younger people. At Anoeta we perceive interesting synergies for this,” stressed Telleria.