46 young people have access to cheap flats in Bilbao in exchange for social work
They pay 55 euros for shared housing in Otxarkoaga and Bilbao La Vieja and agree to participate in support projects for vulnerable populations
Thirteen editions already complies with the Jóvenes Solidarios program in Bilbao, which has a simple dynamic: the public company Viviendas Municipales makes twenty flats available to university students at cheap prices in exchange for the beneficiaries committing to carry out work for the benefit of the community and in support of vulnerable groups. 46 postgraduate students participate in this edition, six less than in 2022. The vast majority, 44, are from the UPV/EHU, and the other two come from the universities of Deusto and Mondragón.
Yes, the rents are cheap because each tenant pays a price that the City Council describes as symbolic and that remains at 55 euros per month (it does not include electricity and water costs). The figure is minimal if one takes into account that it is very difficult to find a room in a shared house in Bilbao for less than 300 euros. The floors are conditioned, with a full kitchen and furniture as well. They are located in the neighborhoods of Otxarkoaga and Bilbao La Vieja, which are the places where the community projects in which young people participate are located.
Jon Bilbao, Councilor for Housing, points out that this program has a double objective, “to provide opportunities for affordable flats for students and to contribute to the involvement of young people who live in municipal housing in the social causes of the neighbourhood.” The presentation ceremony of this edition took place this Monday in Otxarkoaga and together with the councilor, Gorka Moreno, vice-rector of the Bizkaia Campus of the UPV/EHU; Nekane Garatea, head of the accommodation and reception area of the international relations office of the University of Deusto; and Aitzol Garmendia, representing Mondragón Unibertsitatea.
But perhaps the two main protagonists in the presentation of the matter have been Mar Puig and Ramón Ascanio, two of the 46 students participating in this edition. She, Catalan; he, Venezuelan. She will give “empowerment classes” to gypsy women from Otxarkoaga and he will help in a neighborhood soup kitchen. In total, fifteen associations participated in the program. In Bilbao La Vieja they are Aldauri, Bakuva, Bilbao Historiko, Claret Fundazioa, Crea Africa, Gugaz Aurrera, Itaka, Sartu and Tximeleta; in Otxarkoaga, Amuge, Bizitegi, Cáritas, CEIP Artatse, Gugaz Aurrera, IES Txurdinaga and Tendel. Participants must spend at least four hours a week in social activities, which, in addition to classes and support in soup kitchens, include accompanying the elderly or teaching Spanish to immigrants.
Since the beginning of this initiative, more than 450 young people, with an average age of 26, have achieved success in the Solidarity Youth program promoted by Municipal Housing. In this edition, of the 46 young people, 54.8% are women and 45.2% are men. Councilor Jon Bilbao says that the program could go further, because there is interest, but “we are limited by the number of floors that we can dedicate to this purpose.”