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Österreichischer Verband Gemeinnütziger Bauvereinigungen – Revisionsverband / Austrian Federation of Limited-Profit Housing Associations

Officially founded in 1946, GBV is the federation of housing co-operatives and limited-profit organizations.  Similar organizations have been active in Austria since early 1900s.  Membership is mandatory since 1938 coinciding with the expansion of the federation’s function of auditing their members.  GBV is an independent organization from the State and is playing two roles: member representation and advocacy and auditing.  Specifically, the federation carries the following activities:

  • Improvement of the legal framework of their members’ activities
  • Conduct of the compulsory audition of members
  • Provision of professional advice and assistance
  • Provision of information and analysis on economic and social developments

Find out more about housing co-operatives in Austria

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International measures to channel investment towards affordable rental housing: Austrian case study

This Western Australian Government report reviews Austria's financing model for affordable housing, focusing on limited-profit housing associations and Housing Construction Convertible Bonds (HCCBs). Austria’s model leverages low-interest loans, subsidies, and private investment to keep housing costs down. The report recommends Australia explore similar strategies to enhance affordable housing through stable subsidies, support for low-income access, and competitive land development.Read More

Financing and Development Australia Report
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Mission d’étude québécoise à Vienne, 8 au 14 octobre 2023

Du 8 au 14 octobre 2023, s’est tenue dans la ville de Vienne en Autriche une mission d’études québécoise du Canada pour mieux saisir les fondements de la capitale autrichienne sur le plan de l’engagement en matière de logement social et communautaire.Read More

Research Austria Report
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Summary WIFO study: The Economic Impacts of Limited-Profit Housing Associations

There is a growing recognition amongst policymakers of the social and economic benefits of affordable and stable housing markets. Those benefits have been amplified by the ongoing pandemic and the financial difficulties many house ...Read More

Financing and Development Austria Research Paper
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CIRIEC Working Paper: The system of limited-profit housing in Austria: cost-rents, revolving funds, and economic impacts

Limited-profit housing plays a significant role in Austria’s housing market. Around a quarter of all households live in homes owned or managed by a limited-profit housing association (LPHA). These associations are characterised ...Read More

Financing and Development Austria Research Paper
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Social, affordable and co-operative housing in Europe – Case studies from Switzerland, Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark

The Housing Agency of Ireland compiled 44 case studies from Switzerland, Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark. The case studies respond to the various challenges of providing adequate housing.  The report includes public projects led by government or city authorities, mixed-tenure private developments, and collective schemes led by residents. Like Ireland, all the selected countries have an established tradition of providing housing that is not purely market-oriented to meet a portion of their housing need.Read More

Austria Report
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Australia Looks at Austria for Affordable Housing Financing Models

Australia Looks at Austria for Affordable Housing Financing ModelsRead More

Research Australia Research Paper
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New Housing Program Launches to Support Affordable, Resilient Housing for Global Communities

Swedish organizations and CHI members, We Effect, HSB, and Riksbyggen are joining forces to launch an international housing program focused on expanding access to adequate housing for people facing poverty. By leveraging Sweden’s cooperative housing expertise, this collaboration aims to support low-income communities worldwide in organizing, building skills, and securing financing for housing initiatives.Read More

Community Africa Report
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Financing Co-operative and Mutual Housing

The Commission's final report on Cooperative and Mutual Housing (Bringing Democracy Home) highlighted the need for consideration of the role that cooperative and mutual housing could play in the national housing strategy. The Fina ...Read More

Financing and Development Global Report
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Logement abordable : profils de cinq villes métropolitaines

Par cette publication, nous souhaitons ouvrir le débat sur le logement en tant que droit fondamental et enjeu métropolitain, en mettant en lumière l’expérience de grandes métropoles et dans l’espoir d’inspirer des idées nouvelles pour aborder cet enjeu absolument fondamental de l’urbanisation moderne.Read More

Advocacy Global
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Towards the Localization of the Sustainable Development Goals

The Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments prepared a report showcasing how cities and regions are fostering alternative housing policies to support the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. With increased urbanization, ...Read More

Advocacy Global
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Building Strong Development Cooperation: Partnership Opportunities between Cooperatives and the EU

In 2000, United Nations (UN) member states recognised the need to build global partnerships for development and the exchange of expertise as one of the Millennium Development Goals. Across the international development field, part ...Read More

Financing and Development Global
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Raising Capital: The Capital Conundrum for Co-operatives

New report: The Capital Conundrum for Co-operatives "The Capital Conundrum for Co-operatives", a new report released by the Alliance’s Blue Ribbon Commission explores ideas and options available to co-operatives that need suitab ...Read More

Financing and Development Global
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Sustainable Use of Forests: an Urgent Global Challenge

The unsustainable exploitation of our planet’s forests is a major contributor to global warming and threatens the future of humanity. Co-operative Housing International believes that the co-operative family has a role to play to prevent the ongoing degradation of the forests and is calling all co-operatives to support its Sustainable Management Forest Initiative.Read More

Sustainability Global
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Financing Housing Co-operatives in a Credit Crunch

Financing the development of housing co-operatives is a challenge and more so in time of financial restrictions and uncertainty.  CHI members discussed the issue during a seminar held in November 2009 in Geneva.  Presentations w ...Read More

Financing and Development Global
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What’s new in Sustainable Forest Management?

 The Forest Products Annual Market Review 2013 reports that the development of new refinement processes has led to the production of new and more affordable wood based products such as cross-laminated timber (CLT). The report sta ...Read More

Sustainability Global
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The Guidance Notes on the Co-operative Principles

Updated Guidance Notes on the Co-operative Principles, edited by David Rodgers, former President of Co-operative Housing InternationalRead More

Governance Global
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Promoting Cooperatives – International Labour Organization (ILO) Recommendation 193 on the Promotion of Cooperatives

The ILO views cooperatives as important in improving the living and working conditions of women and men globally as well as making essential infrastructure and services available even in areas neglected by the state and investor-driven enterprises. Cooperatives have a proven record of creating and sustaining employment – they provide over 100 million jobs today; they advance the ILO’s Global Employment Agenda and contribute to promoting decent work.Read More

Legal Global
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Profiles of a Movement: Co-operative Housing around the World – Volume One

This first volume includes the co-operative housing profile of 22 countries. This report presents the history and the current realities of co-operative housing around the world.  CHI is currently in the process of updating the ...Read More

Community Global
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Students and Housing Cooperatives

Student housing cooperatives have become very popular in the USA and many of these housing co-operatives are members of organizations such as NASCO. Unlike a resident who acquires shares at market rates to earn the right to occupy ...Read More

Community Global
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Environment Sustainability and Climate Change Seminars

To further our commitment towards sustainable sources of timber and forest products and to provide co-operators more information on the certification programmes and successful sustainable initiatives, CHI organized a seminar on S ...Read More

Sustainability Global
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Housing Co-operatives and Climate Change

ICA members adopted a resolution at the 2007 General Assembly calling on the co-operative movement to do its share in combating climate changes. The resolution suggests three ways on how the co-op movement can act now: Measure and ...Read More

Sustainability Global
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Legal Frameworks for Housing Co-operatives: Seminars

As part of CHI's plan to map its activities to the International Co-operative Alliance's Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade, CHI held a seminar on one of the Blueprint elements:  Legal Frameworks for Housing Co-operatives. “Co ...Read More

Legal Global
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Good Governance Charter for Housing Co-operatives

 The Good Governance Charter for Housing Co-operatives was launched at the ICA Housing Plenary in Manchester in November 2012.It has three parts:A 10-point set of good governance practicesAn interpretive statement for each good p ...Read More

Governance Global
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Profiles of a Movement: Co-operative Housing around the World – Volume Two

Volume 2 of the Profiles of a Movement concentrates on the African continent. We are pleased to present the remarkable work achieved by the African co-operators, work accomplished in a very challenging environment. These profil ...Read More

Community Global
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Financing and Climate Change Seminars

Seminars about continued public sector investment in co-operative housing in Austria and Canada, innovative funding arrangements created by the co-operative housing sector in Italy and harnessing member investment through co-opera ...Read More

Financing and Development Global
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The Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade and its Special Application to the Housing Sector

The Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade is a worldwide campaign to “take the co-operative way of doing business to a new level”. The five key elements of the Blueprint are participation, sustainability, identity, legal frameworks and capital. The Blueprint is particularly relevant to co-operative housing and the Blueprint interpretation for co-operative housing below explains how.Read More

Governance Global
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