This project offers accommodation access to immigrant population. Provivienda -the association that promotes this programme- informs and mediates in all issues related to let or buy a house; and provides juridical assistance for both, owners and lessees.

The programme is oriented to immigrants with economic possibilities to pay a rent, but with problems of housing due to their socio/labour conditions, discriminations or difficulties in the access to the renting market.

In this context, the project is oriented to:

• Provide accommodation to people who find the access to the renting market problematic.
• Execute an effective mediation work between owners and lessees.
• Make conscious immigrants about how their integration and coexistence with local people will be favoured with the access to housing.
• Draw up a plan to guarantee the rent payments and the housing maintenance.
• Avoid the rootlessness produced by accommodation instability.

This programme offers different services:

• Inspection and inventory of houses before the offer to petitioners.
• Redaction and supervision of rental agreements, advising both, owner and lessees, about their juridical relationship.
• Free and comprehensive insurance for the owner and guarantee for the rents.
• Specialized programmes of juridical assistance for owners and lessees.
• Models of rental agreements and sale contracts.
• Monitoring and mediation between owners and lessees who participate in the programme.

The programme’s efforts have been oriented in two directions:

1. Housing rent and maintenance. During 2008 a total of 592 persons, from 31 different nationalities, find an accommodation in 180 houses. In all this year, no cases of unpaid rent were registered.
2. Information related with accommodation –rent, buy, public projects- and mediation programme. Throughout 2008 a total of 2.785 persons were informed.

The programme elaborates annual reports to evaluate their results. The impact of this programme is directly related with immigration policies, rent market and employment situation.

Provivienda emphasizes that the innovative elements in this programme are:

• Housing from private sector is attracted to a social and public use. Management is guaranteed by public administrations.
• Guarantees for the owners reduce to 20% housing price, comparing with market prices.
• Mediation permits a normalised relationship between owners and lessees.

In 2006 Provivienda asked to ALBA Project Association to make a Manual of Good Practices considering the programme’s experience in Madrid. The main objective of this study was the systematization of experiences to guide future actions in housing access field (see attachment in Spanish).

• Owners of houses or apartments
• Families or groups of immigrants who can afford paying for rent, but for social/labour conditions find themselves discriminated against or find the access to the renting market difficult.

Sources of funding:

• Madrid. The programme was financed through a special administrative agreement with Madrid regional government since 2006 to 2008 (the contract ended in October). Since then, the programme is financed by Provivienda, with less personal and activities.
• Balearic Islands. During 2008, the programme was financed with subventions from the Immigration General Direction of Balearic Regional Government. The project also has received resources from Consell Insular de Mallorca and Ibiza.