Zoom-in #1 - Housing and Energy Information Offices: From good practices to Egaleo and back

The Housing Office in Egaleo, established in Summer 2024, serves a variety of objectives: it operates as a hotline for beneficiaries of the Rock the Block project, a one-stop-shop on housing issues for Egaleo residents, and a  networking point to connect housing initiatives across Greece and Europe. 

In Rock the Block, the Housing Office is designed to facilitate the communication between the beneficiaries, the partners, and the municipal services involved. The Office provides information about the selection criteria and necessary documents for the application. In the phase when beneficiaries are selected through an open call, communication to selected and not selected Polykatoikias is managed by the Housing Office. After the selection, the Housing Office will act as the information point for the implementation of participatory workshops by AREA, InCommon, Urbana and Organization Earth, leading to the Action Plans of the buildings. It will serve as a place for the beneficiaries to meet with the experts, the Advisory Board, the partners within the project.

Beyond Rock the Block, Housing Office will operate as a one-stop-shop related to housing issues, serving all residents. The Office will support residents with technical and legal information. Besides helping local citizens in upgrading their homes , addressing their energy poverty and reducing their costs, one of the Housing Office’s roles is to act as a mediator when it comes to tenants rights and organise workshops and information sessions on the topic. In order to gain insights and share up-to-date information, the Housing Office will monitor and observe housing regulations and institutional frameworks currently in place, regarding, for example, the rental market, housing needs and statistical data, and potentially leading to policy proposals. Another ambition of the Housing Office is the intermediation between the owners of vacant or available properties and potential tenants, through the creation of a repository of available housing stock within Egaleo. 

As part of the Housing Office, a Co-Living Hub was established. The Hub will play a specific role within the Housing Office context: it will help buildings to act as ambassadors towards the neighbourhood, including more people in the Action Plans of the individual buildings. The Co-Living Hub will help residents in gaining new skills, by supporting them in energy saving, decision-making and network building, such as in the case of energy communities. Essentially, it is conceived as a lab to exchange skills, like a housing-focused library of things and skills: it will provide a variety of skills to residents, related to current trends in the housing sector, including affordable and cooperative housing, participatory design and cooperation processes. 

Finally, the Housing Office will also serve as a networking point to share the experiences of Rock the Block with other housing offices, agencies and initiatives across Greece and Europe. By networking with similar organisations, the Housing Office will contribute to designing policy tools and shaping policy agendas both in Greece and abroad. 

Housing and Energy Information Offices - Good practices

Gebietsbetreuung, Vienna

https://www.gbstern.at/ 

Gebietsbetreuung (Area management) offices have been present in Vienna for decades, mostly established in challenged districts and neighbourhoods. In 1974, the Vienna Municipality launched an integrated area development  project in the Ottakring district, using the tools of community work and social innovation. In 1978, the project was extended to other peripheral areas that were selected for urban regeneration processes. Mostly located in public housing complexes, the Gebietsbetreuung offices became an important instrument to accompany citizens and local communities in the development of new districts, to inform subsidised housing improvement programmes as well as to create social innovation processes in already existing neighbourhoods. 

There are currently six Gebietsbetreuung Stadterneuerung (GB*) district offices in Vienna, covering about a quarter of the Viennese population. The agencies, organised as separate entities with their budget and personnel, are contracted with renewable contracts. The Gebietsbetreuung has to continuously improve their performance that puts them into a competition with other agencies.

Gebietsbetreuung offices act like information offices: they give guidance on how to start a new activity, they support civic initiatives in public spaces and ensure a more direct relationship between citizens and all the municipality departments. More concretely, GB* offices offer free advice on housing and neighbourhood issues, including information on mobility, educational facilities and other infrastructural issues in the neighbourhood. The GB* offices also provide assistance on various technical, legal and financial issues:  improvements and refurbishment in individual homes or housing blocks, the management and problems of terraces and courtyards, legal issues related to ownership and tenancy, technical insight into refurbishment and financial information related to subsidies and allowances. 

Gebietsbetreuung agencies also play an advocacy role: they actively participate in the preparation of new zoning and land-use plans and represent citizen interests in new development projects. GB* offices promote social interaction through events and the design and implementation of new public spaces. Finally, they also contribute to climate protection measures by supporting actions that have a positive impact on local microclimates. 

Quartiersmanagement, Berlin

https://www.quartiersmanagement-berlin.de/ 

Berlin’s Quartiersmanagement (Neighbourhood Management) programme has been active for over two decades in the German capital. It started in 1999 as a pilot project in the federal state-funded urban development program Soziale Stadt (Social City), focusing on neighborhoods with special development needs. 

Quartiersmanagement has physical offices (Quartiersbüro) are established in socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods that are at risk of being left behind by the overall development of the city. These offices, normally with a low-threshold access, are run by urban planners, social workers and community facilitators, thus combining different skills in their approach to local groups and individuals. 

With regular neighbourhood meetings, workshops and advisory sessions, Quartiersmanagement offices work on activating residents and involving them in the future development of their neighbourhood, thus creating a new sense of responsibility, empowering vulnerable residents and enhancing their social inclusion. In addition to the social focus of the programme’s first decades, since 2020, the topics of climate protection and environmental justice have also been the focus of Berlin's Quartiersmanagement activities, connected to funding requirements of the federal and state governments in all urban development funding programs.

Quartiersmanagement offices offer a wide array of services. As part of their social and community support, they act as a liaison between residents and the local administration, connecting local services with people in need. QM offices support social integration by helping migrant communities with translation and language courses as well as by organising cultural events and workshops and helping to resolve neighbour disputes and conflicts. Moreover, the Quartiersbüros provide small grants for local initiatives, encouraging citizens to start community projects. 

As part of their education, employment and youth programmes, Quartiersmanagement offices provide spaces for young people, and organise help with homework, tutoring and cultural education. They encourage parent involvement in schools and support single-parent families with childcare and counseling services. Furthermore, the Quartiersbüros support unemployed persons with job coaching, vocational training, and internships, while collaborating with local businesses to create job opportunities. 

In their urban planning-related advocacy role, Quartiersmanagement offices promote high quality public spaces by initiating urban gardening, greening spaces and renovating playgrounds. They advocate for safer pedestrian zones, bike lanes and improved public transport access, while reducing car traffic in residential areas. FInally, Quartiersbüros support tenant rights by informing tenants about legal protections and helping residents apply for building renovations, energy-efficient upgrades, and government subsidies.

RenoPont, Budapest 

https://renopont.hu 

RenoPont is a Hungarian initiative dedicated to facilitating energy-efficient home renovations, primarily serving residents in Budapest and parts of the Western region. Established in November 2019 under the EU-funded RENOHUB-H2020 project, RenoPont aims to bridge the gap between homeowners and renovation professionals by providing comprehensive consultancy services throughout the renovation process. 

Recognising the need to address energy inefficiencies in Hungarian homes due to the large proportion (two-thirds) of the country's residences deemed substandard in terms of energy use, the Hungarian Energy Efficiency Institute, in collaboration with partners, launched RenoPont to offer a centralized platform where homeowners could access all necessary technical, legal, and financial information for energy-efficient renovations.

The first RenoPont office and its accompanying website were inaugurated in 2021, marking a significant step toward revolutionizing residential energy consumption in Hungary. Currently, RenoPont operates multiple offices across Budapest to ensure accessibility for a broad spectrum of residents. The various offices are strategically positioned to serve both apartment and detached house owners, as well as representatives of condominiums. The Green Budapest Consulting Office, located within the City Hall building, also collaborates with eco-managers focusing on air quality protection, while the Józsefváros district office offers specialized services for households experiencing energy poverty.

RenoPont functions as a "one-stop-shop," providing a variety of services designed to simplify the renovation journey for homeowners. By offering free consultations, RenoPont guides clients from the initial decision-making phase through to the completion of renovations, including energy audits, financial guidance, and assistance in selecting appropriate renovation solutions. To ensure transparency, quality and reliability, RenoPont maintains a database of trusted experts and contractors, facilitating connections between homeowners and professionals suited to their specific renovation needs. 

RenoPont is also engaged in sharing information: the offices provide information on current tendering opportunities, show payback calculations, comparative data and good examples. The RenoPont website serves as a comprehensive repository of information, featuring downloadable templates, a glossary of terms, product selection advice, and details on financial options. The continuous enhancement of this online platform ensures that homeowners have up-to-date information and tools at their disposal, including energy-saving calculators and best practice guides. Moreover, RenoPont participates in awareness campaigns: by disseminating information on the environmental and financial benefits of energy-efficient homes, RenoPont aims to educate the public and encourage proactive renovation efforts.