AHA Budapest - Affordable Housing for Everyone
Affordable Housing for Everyone
Safe and dignified housing should be a fundamental right – yet today, many in Budapest live without an adequate home. People facing housing difficulties not only encounter physical deficiencies but also social stigma, which further deteriorates their quality of life.
The AHA – Affordable Housing for All project, supported by the European Union, aims to change this situation. Its goal is to provide quality, stable, and dignified housing for those in need, while also contributing to raising awareness among Budapest's residents about housing poverty and vulnerability.
As part of AHA’s first pilot project, a disused school building is being transformed to create 26 modern apartments, through the collaboration of eight partner organizations. The families moving in are supported by social professionals and a unique forecasting system, enabling them to start a new, planned, and dignified life after their previous uncertain housing situation.
The resulting DemoHub not only offers energy-efficient apartments but also provides comprehensive social support and continuous monitoring. The project serves as a model with the aim to set an example for other innovative housing solutions.
While in Western Europe, the development and maintenance of modern, municipally owned rental housing are already established practices, in Hungary, the unregulated nature of the sector and the weaknesses of the social rental housing system pose significant obstacles. The AHA aims to convert unused, originally non-residential, properties owned by the capital into affordable, sustainable housing.
The first such transformation is taking place at Baross Street 39, where a school building is being converted into residential property, based on energy-efficient technologies and sustainability principles.
As part of the project, KÉK undertakes two important tasks:
Community Planning: During the development of the community space, not only future residents but also local inhabitants are involved, to create a truly inclusive community space.
Neighbourhood Integration: The goal is to create an inclusive local community that newcomers can integrate into for the long term.
The creation of the community space takes place in the closing phase of the project, fully tailored to the needs of the area.
Partners:
Budapest Brand
Budapest Municipal Government
KÉK
BURST
Popcode
Városkutatás Ltd.
MEHI
NART
ULE
