Confcooperative Habitat is the national federation that, since 1954, has brought together cooperative housing construction companies and their consortia under Confcooperative, the Confederation of Italian Cooperatives. Its core mission is to represent and support the interests of cooperative housing enterprises before national and EU institutions, while providing services and technical assistance to foster their development in the residential sector.

The federation works to:

• Represent and protect housing cooperatives across Italy.

• Promote the entrepreneurial growth of members and the expansion and renewal of the cooperative housing stock, with a focus on meeting local urban needs.

• Enhance residents’ quality of life by fostering socially cohesive, sustainable communities.

• Support the development of social housing through public-private partnerships and cooperative-led residential initiatives.

• Organize training for cooperative members, staff, and leaders in partnership with regional structures.

• Coordinate activities across regions to spread effective cooperative practices and provide targeted support to local housing co-ops.

• Deliver ongoing updates and expertise on regulatory, financial, and technical issues, and advance cooperative values nationwide.

Since January 2011, Confcooperative Habitat has collaborated with Legacoop Abitanti and AGCI Abitazione through the Alliance of Italian Cooperatives – Housing Sector, aiming to strengthen the cooperative housing model through unified national coordination. Joint efforts include working groups focused on improving access to credit, fair taxation, and strategies for urban and housing redevelopment.

In 2018, Confcooperative formally extended Habitat’s mandate to include representation of Italy’s growing number of community cooperatives. The first National Assembly of the Community Cooperatives Sector within Habitat was held on July 21, 2021, marking a new chapter in cooperative innovation focused on local development and social inclusion.

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