The Cooperative Housing Support Program, a proposal that will be discussed in an extraordinary meeting of the municipal executive on Wednesday, aims to make housing cooperatives an alternative to the traditional real estate market.

"The Cooperative Housing Support Program in Matosinhos aims to promote the development of cooperative housing in the municipality at affordable prices, through a set of measures that support the creation, management and sustainability of housing cooperatives", the proposal states.

The purpose is to implement a support model for the construction of housing to be integrated into the affordable rental regime in which the building is collectively owned by the cooperative without the possibility of being sold to the cooperators, it emphasizes.

According to the municipality, housing cooperatives were and should continue to be built around a strong sense of community.

And it adds: "In addition to housing, the cooperative creates `habitat´ and community through the sharing of common spaces, the promotion of social relations and an environment of collaboration and the qualification of the surrounding public space".

In a first phase, the construction of 100 houses is planned, and housing cooperatives can apply for the support program individually or in groups, the proposal highlights.

This program is intended for families with difficulties in accessing the housing market, young people who want to emancipate themselves and people with special housing needs, it emphasizes.

In terms of support, the municipality, led by the socialist Luísa Salgueiro, grants the right to build on a municipal plot of land free of charge for 90 years and renewable for an equal period.

At the end of the contract, or if the cooperative is declared liquidated, the municipal land and the building revert free of charge to the local authority.

The municipality will carry out the accessibility works and intervention in the public space and the cooperative will connect the building networks to the public networks.

In addition, the local authority will provide a maximum support of 75 thousand euros to the successful cooperative for the architectural project, exemption from urban planning fees, Municipal Property Tax (IMI) and VAT at 6%.

The legal and administrative formalities related to the contracting, execution and supervision of the project are the responsibility of the cooperative, as well as the resulting financial charges, the proposal states.

"The creation of a new generation of cooperatives to promote affordable housing is an important step towards ensuring access to housing in Portugal. This program aims to provide cooperatives with the necessary support to contribute, as in the past, to the development of a more just and cohesive country", it emphasizes.

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