Sume Materiales (‘Incorporate materials') - Reutilization of materials to facilitate access to housing
This entry has been selected as a finalist in the
Sustainable Urban Housing: Collaborating for Liveable and Inclusive Cities competition.
Sume Materiales (‘Incorporate materials') (SM) is a program which makes it easier for low-income families to purchase materials for the construction or renovation of their own houses. Since 2004, we have been working by reusing disused materials and providing them to families living under deficient housing conditions. We receive donations of disused and residuary materials, as well as of discontinued and residual articles from new constructions both from individuals and companies. We collect donations directly from the donors’ domicile and later we register, condition and repair them if necessary. Products are sold at social prices, depending on the payment capacity of each family. The program is self-sustaining and the surplus is allocated to other housing programs developed by the Sagrad
About You
About You
First Name
María Itatí
Last Name
Cabral
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Fundacion Sagrada Familia
Organization Website
Organization Phone
0054 11 4742 0088/ 4743 0087
Organization Address
Cosme Beccar 353, 1° A, San Isidro
Organization Country
Argentina, B
Country where this project is creating social impact
Argentina, B
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
More than 5 years
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
Innovation
Entry Form title
Sume Materiales (‘Incorporate materials') - Reutilization of materials to facilitate access to housing
Describe your project
Sume Materiales (‘Incorporate materials') (SM) is a program which makes it easier for low-income families to purchase materials for the construction or renovation of their own houses. Since 2004, we have been working by reusing disused materials and providing them to families living under deficient housing conditions. We receive donations of disused and residuary materials, as well as of discontinued and residual articles from new constructions both from individuals and companies. We collect donations directly from the donors’ domicile and later we register, condition and repair them if necessary. Products are sold at social prices, depending on the payment capacity of each family. The program is self-sustaining and the surplus is allocated to other housing programs developed by the Sagrad
What stage is your project in?
Operating for more than 5 years
What makes your project unique as it relates to the theme of this competition?
Latin America is 7 million houses short to meet its population housing demand, and some experts state that debris from construction sites and demolitions are larger than urban garbage and, therefore, represent a serious environmental issue. Sume Materiales gives the opportunity to act as responsible citizens in order to improve environmental conditions by:
• Recycling the raw materials of disused objects in order to manufacture new products
• Re-using materials which are in good conditions
• Repairing those objects which may still be used
• Reducing the amount of garbage we produce
Sume Materiales acts as an intermediary, by taking advantage and enhancing the existing capital in different social areas. More than 200 companies are associated to this program, as well as a hundred architects and thousands of individuals who assist each other so that disused materials are not turned into garbage.
SM is in charge of the logistics and registration of the products and adds value to them, trying to obtain those materials which have a higher demand. Since 2004, SM has been responding to the claims of more than 3,500 families that have purchased materials to repair or build their houses at lower prices.
Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project
The Sagrada Familia foundation was set up in 1979 to develop housing programs for low-income families. In the middle ‘90s, it started to develop a micro-loans program so that those families who owned a plot of land could improve or even build their own house. In 2002, Rodrigo Gómez Iza, a volunteer of the foundation, suggested to start collecting donations from those people who learned about our work (and which the foundation, more than once, could not receive due to lack of space) in order to deliver them to low-income families who were repairing or building their houses. This would also generate genuine income to finance construction and micro-loans programs.
José Mendizábal (an advisor) joined Rodrigo and, together, they developed this project. It was later presented to the municipality of San Isidro, which gave its support and donated a field for our offices. This idea was also submitted to the Ashoka Foundation and we obtained their recognition. Later, in 2003, we were granted a monetary award by the YPF Foundation. With the assistance of 11 volunteers from this company, we started implementing this project in 2004.
Social Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
Who or what (i.e. youth, women, environment, etc.) benefits from your project, and why is your project critical?
- Low-income families: inhabitants of the Northern Great Buenos Aires who wish to repair or build their houses.
- Companies with social and environmental commitment, which benefit from finding an ally to perform responsible actions regarding the disposal of disused materials.
- Individuals who find a way to channel assistance and commitment through housing issues.
There exist other initiatives which include the collection and sale of furniture; however, there are neither spaces in the country to which construction materials can be donated nor spaces like SM where value is added to those donations through workshops (related to wood, iron and marble works).
Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured.
The success of the program is evidenced by the rise in the number of beneficiaries, institutions and individuals who join this project. The program has had a continuous growth since its very beginning.
With respect to the internal organization, we have developed a Procedure Manual for all the activities as well as a dashboard which is used to monitor all parameters (undergoing presentation for certification under ISO Standards).
How many people have been impacted by your project?
1,001 - 10,000
How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?
1001‐10,000
What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?
- Physical space limitation: we have created the role of “Responsible of rotation” in order to increase sales over the Internet to attract new customers.
- Increase in transportation costs: For this purpose, we have created a contribution voucher, which is offered to individuals after we collect donations from their houses. The results of this strategy are quite advantageous and we should increase tools in this direction. We intend to obtain a commitment from those companies which provide donations so that they could finance part or all of the logistics expenses.
How will your project evolve over the next three years?
- New sales channel: Through MercadoLibre.com, we will increase the number and variety of customers.
- More design: In 2011, we will carry out our 4th Design Competition, involving more actors so as to provide higher quality to our products and to obtain commitment from professionals with respect to social and environmental change. Also, we will take part in three exhibitions throughout this year related to construction and design.
- New payment method: We will use a postnet in our offices so that our customers (most of whom own debit/ credit cards) can have an alternative to cash and can also pay in installments.
Sustainability
For each selection, please explain the financial and non-financial support from each
Sume Materiales receives donations from individuals and companies on a daily basis. These materials are added to the program and, in some cases, they are modified or transformed.
The government of the Municipality of San Isidro provides substantial financial support, by assigning the use of the facilities where this program is developed (a 65x25m shed located in Boulogne, in the Great Buenos Aires). These facilities also have a security service, as well as a debris collection service and a dumper, which are necessary for the proper functioning of the program.
Another source of financing is the income derived from the sale of products. Pricing policies are aimed at favoring those families with a higher housing need and lower income. All funds collected are allocated to cover the program costs. Surplus obtained represents income for other programs of the Sagrada Familia Foundation (micro-loans for housing enhancement and full-houses construction program).
How do you plan to grow and/or diversify your base of support in the next three years?
Diversification of the customer database: In order to expand on the customers we have, we will develop an online sales channel (MercadoLibre), which is free of charge.
Furthermore, we are developing a network of neighborhood representatives in order to strengthen the program locally, thus reaching adjacent neighborhoods through the communication among neighbors and the shared work with other community organizations.
Companies: In 2010, internal workshops have had a huge success and, today, we are able to process new materials. This is why we are requesting new companies to donate their surplus materials or production debris (iron, marble, wood and their derivatives).
Donations: We started working on the preparation of donation proposals in order to be brought forward to competitions, meetings and to special donors so that we can cover enhancement and growth needs which require direct funds.
Also, we are promoting direct donations from individuals. In many cases, donors of materials themselves decide to provide funds to the program; in others, we reach systematic donors through marketing campaigns.
Collaboration
Please select your areas of intervention in the home improvement market
Design, Environment.
Is your innovation addressing barriers in the home improvement/progressive housing market? If so, please describe in detail your mechanisms of intervention
Low-income families have great difficulties in terms of housing improvement, due to the lack of financial resources to purchase materials and to pay for labor at the same time. On many occasions, families purchase materials partially, store them and then keep saving money to actually carry out the improvements. In the meantime, materials deteriorate, prices rise and improvements become a never-ending story: sometimes, there are families who have their houses under construction for years.
Thanks to Sume Materiales, lower-income families can purchase used materials in good conditions or even new ones at a special price, which is lower than the standard market price, and with progressive discounts depending on the family’s needs. As evidenced by the testimonies of the people who have taken part in our program, families can finally finish and improve their houses.
Are you currently collaborating with private companies, or have you partnered with private companies in the past? With which companies?
Companies’ donations represent 63% of donations received monthly (taking into account estimated economic figures). Donations differ in type and content, for example:
- Furniture and coverings due to relocation or internal repairs of the companies: Google, Mercado Libre, Cheeky, Sheraton, Gran Hotel Argentino, Accenture, Banco Hipotecario, Roemmers Laboratory, Pepsico.
- Systematic donations due to the generation of production residues: TecMetal, PentaKa, Occhipinti, Balunek.
- Donations of construction debris: Intecons, architecture and design agencies.
- Donations of new materials: Cordenons, Isolant, Easy, Tersuave.
- Specific-purpose campaigns: Della Casa Muebles Express, Natural Servicios (Gas Natural Group). In these cases, campaigns consisted in an “exchange plan” for customers by offering a bonus or discount to whoever decided to donate their used products in good conditions (armchairs, stoves) at the moment of purchasing products f such companies. In both cases, companies were in charge of the publicity of the campaign and also of part of the donations’ logistic coordination.
- Strategic partnership: Contract. This company specializes in the design and construction of working spaces. We have entered into a collaboration agreement by which we have been included as the last stage of all the works performed by Contract. That is, the company will donate all work residues derived from all the company’s interventions.
Please describe in detail the nature of the partnership(s)
See previous item.
Select the unit(s) with which the partnership was formed
Corporate social responsibility department, Marketing department, Sales department, Logistics department, Other (please specify).
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Donación de hierros - Sume Materiales | 521.97 KB |
| Cesto de residuros elaboradorado con descartes metalúrgicos | 541.01 KB |
 | 110 weeks ago Estela Orfila said: Es increíble que de materiales que aparentemente se desechan, los transforman y aprovechan para hacer viviendas dignas a gente de menos ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 111 weeks ago Jose Mendizabal said: Creatividad, Organización y Eficiencia. Realmente un muy buen servicio a la Comunidad, aprovechando Recursos Disponibles y no siempre ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 111 weeks ago maria delia perez iturrioz said: mis felicitaciones a los integrantes de la Fundación!!son un orgullo para nuestra Argentina!! about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 111 weeks ago laura olivero said: Conozco el proyecto de Fundación Sagrada Familia. Excelente iniciativa! Sigan adelante y éxitos! about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 113 weeks ago Sume Materiales (‘Incorporate materials') - Reutilization of materials to facilitate access to housing has been chosen as a finalist in Sustainable Urban Housing: Collaborating for Liveable and Inclusive Cities. |
