Calico

CLTs (Community Land Trusts) are organisations that acquire land in order to manage it as a common good, together and in the interests of the community. The system has existed in the United States since the 1970s. CLTs can take many different forms, but certain basic principles remain unchanged: ownership of the land is separated from the building, enabling low-income households to buy a home at a lower price than the market price, and the price of the homes remains affordable for future generations, thanks to a limit on the resale price.

The Brussels CLT (CLTB) exists since 2012. The first CLT in continental Europe and co-coordinator of CALICO with the Brussels-Capital Region, it has been internationally recognised as a pioneer in the field and twice funded by the European Union for innovative projects. By using housing as a means of integrating populations in difficulty, it involves its candidate-owners at every stage of the housing production process, with a view to empowerment and social cohesion.

The concept of ” mourance “, developed by the psychologist and psychotherapist Lydia Müller, seeks to make death and bereavement part of the life process, as part of a cycle and not an end. The integration within CALICO of a birthing centre and a dying centre provides suitable spaces for people who wish to give birth or die in an empathetic and familiar environment. Integrated into the home, they are coordinated by our partner Pass-ages. The aim of this association is to create a caring living space in Brussels that is open to its surroundings and designed to welcome anyone who wishes to experience these ‘passages of life’ naturally, in harmony and in connection, accompanied by professionals and volunteers.

In terms of vulnerability, gender is an aggravating factor, and this automatically has an impact on women’s access to housing. In Belgium, the gender pay gap is 21%, while the pension gap is 26%. What’s more, 80% of parents bringing up children alone are women. This increased poverty is compounded by various gendered factors of discrimination in access to housing, which partly explain why the number of women experiencing homelessness almost tripled between 2002 and 2011 (Lelubre, 2012). Angela.D is CALICO’s partner association responsible for putting gender issues at the heart of shared housing through awareness-raising and training initiatives on gender equality issues.

With its 1.2 million inhabitants, Brussels is a metropolis open to the world thanks to its status as European capital, its multi-cultural nature and its central position at the heart of North-West Europe.

Like many large European cities, Brussels is experiencing difficulties in terms of access to housing. These difficulties mainly affect the most vulnerable social classes, such as women, the elderly, low-income families and migrants. They often have to spend more than 60% of their budget on housing.

One of the particularities of Brussels is that it is a young city with one of the highest demographic growth rates in Europe over the last 20 years. But Brussels, like the rest of Europe, is also faced with an ageing population. New specific needs are emerging, particularly in terms of care. Innovative approaches are needed to make people more independent in their own homes and to develop solidarity between generations.

To address these issues in an integrated way, public authorities, associations and Brussels universities are working together on the CALICO (CAre and LIiving in COmmunity) project.