New Eurasia Foundation: Housing Self-Managment
The ongoing Russian reforms, including those affecting the social sphere and the housing policy, entail application of new models and mechanisms that facilitate collaboration between the government, businesses, and citizens, which requires that people assume a pro-active civil position and acquire fundamentally knew knowledge. The new Housing Code outlined the transition to housing self-government which obligates every homeowner to choose his apartment building management method. The reform also requires that local self-government bodies create equal conditions required to manage apartment buildings, and that new managing companies compete with the former servicing organizations and among each other for the share of the housing fund to be managed in absence of the utility service market.
In practice, however, the legally declared freedom of citizens to form associations and their right to select their apartment building management method are not easy to exercise due to the lack of adequate information support of the housing reform provided by federal and regional authorities, as well as local self-government bodies. Establishment and operation of housing institutions, such as territorial public self-government boards, homeowners’ cooperatives, etc. are impeded by the population’s poor housing culture. Another difficulty has to do with the fact that local self-governance bodies are not prepared to allow the new commercial management companies to manage the housing fund because they want to retain control over the cash flows generated by the housing and utility services. The trust of the population with respect to private management companies also remains quite low due to insufficient competition on the housing management market, growing tariffs and housing and utility rates, and the absence of bona-fide contractual relationships.
The New Eurasia Foundation supports institutions of the Russian housing movement by assisting the RF regions in the implementation of the administrative and housing reforms, promotion of competition on the housing and utility service market, and institutional development of housing education and housing policy. In 2006, the New Eurasia Foundation worked to:
• Strengthen collaboration between authorities, the business community, nonprofit, and public organizations;
• Design tools required to support housing organizations in the Russian regions by promoting new housing self-management institutions (associations, unions, etc.);
• Create a housing reform information support system;
• Support exchange of international experiences and best practices in housing self-management.
"Housing self-management: institutionalizing the housing management system" program
Establishment of a network of housing education schools” project
Public hearings on implementation of the housing reform: determining the role and place of the noncommercial sector in exercising public control” project.
Strengthening of Russian resource nongovernmental organizations operating in the sphere of housing self-government and tenants’ rights advocacy through adaptation of Polish experiences” project
Provision of educational and informational support to municipalities of the Novgorod region in the development of housing self-management” project
We choose how we manage our apartment building” project (facilitation of housing self-government in the city of Moscow)
Homeowners Support Project (hsp.tsg-rf.ru)
The housing reforms implemented by the Russian government are aimed to radically change the roles of all participants in housing stock management. Residents of apartment buildings from passive consumers of housing and utility services are to turn themselves into prudent owners who independently determine apartment building management requirements and ensure property maintenance by using their own funds and mobilizing other available resources.
The Homeowners Support Project (HSP) implemented by the New Eurasia Foundation in cooperation with the Institute of Urban Economics and funded by USAID would contribute to building effective and coordinated housing system at the national, regional, and local levels as well as to increasing the number of civil society organizations that work on housing issues and in support of homeowners in Russia through introducing and testing new housing management models, training a cadre of housing professionals and activists, improving public awareness of rights and responsibilities under housing laws, and facilitating government-business-citizen collaboration.
The Project will be implemented over a two-year period. The Homeowners’ Support Project activities seek to build active collaboration among main stakeholders groups involved in management of housing stock (homeowners, homeowners associations, management companies and service providers, and local authorities).
To achieve the purpose of the Project the New Eurasia Foundation will strive to accomplish the following objectives:
Design, test, and disseminate housing management models, effective operating practices of homeowners associations, and housing management policies and procedures to create a favorable environment the operation of associations of homeowners;
Integrate model approaches to housing stock management into the local socioeconomic development processes ensuring broad public participation;
Improve public awareness of the housing issues at the national, regional, and local level and create conditions for further dissemination of project accomplishments.
In addition, the Project will foster the development of the professional community within the housing sphere and promote the housing movement in Russia by facilitating joint efforts of the Russian national association of homeowners associations and its regional chapters, the Russian tenants association, as well as the Association of management companies.
The Project activities will be implemented in three pilot territories of the Russian Federation seeking systemic changes at the local level. But the Project accomplishments and the Code of Best Housing Practices will be disseminated to all 24 thousand Russian municipalities targeting local authorities, NGOs, management companies and service providers.
The primary target project groups include residents of the pilot territories and citizens’ initiative groups, homeowners associations, housing nongovernmental organizations, management companies and service providers, and local, regional and federal authorities.
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