Social franchising for development of sustainable housing at the bottom of the pyramid
This entry has been selected as a finalist in the
Sustainable Urban Housing: Collaborating for Liveable and Inclusive Cities competition.
Social franchising for development of sustainable housing at the bottom of the pyramid
Through social inclusion, ¡Échale a tu casa!, promotes self assisted sustainable housing for the bottom of the Pyramid. With this social franchise community, families develop as entrepreneurs, they obtain social organization, training, accounting, administrative and technical, production machinery, participatory design, ecological building system, technical supervision, financing and financial education with the integration of a fund savings-guarantee. The result for these families is a heritage and sustainable housing. The social benefit for the franchisees is: an association with the guarantee fund to own a micro-industry construction and replicate the program in the region.
About You
About You
First Name
Francesco
Last Name
Piazzesi
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Ecoblock International, S.A. de C.V. SOFOM ENR
Organization Website
Organization Phone
(52) 5555635200
Organization Address
Av. Revolución 793, Col. Nonoalco. México, D.F. 03700
Organization Country
Mexico, DIF
Country where this project is creating social impact
Mexico, MEX
Is your organization a
For‐profit
How long has your organization been operating?
More than 5 years
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Innovation
Entry Form title
Social franchising for development of sustainable housing at the bottom of the pyramid
Describe your project
Social franchising for development of sustainable housing at the bottom of the pyramid
Through social inclusion, ¡Échale a tu casa!, promotes self assisted sustainable housing for the bottom of the Pyramid. With this social franchise community, families develop as entrepreneurs, they obtain social organization, training, accounting, administrative and technical, production machinery, participatory design, ecological building system, technical supervision, financing and financial education with the integration of a fund savings-guarantee. The result for these families is a heritage and sustainable housing. The social benefit for the franchisees is: an association with the guarantee fund to own a micro-industry construction and replicate the program in the region.
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?
In Mexico, the housing shortage affects 4.2 million families which as a consequence live in cardboard sheet houses. The target population includes families with monthly incomes of $ 600 or less. Historically, the government and development banks have been able to provide capital funds aimed at corporate finance mass housing construction. The capital requirements necessary for a social enterprise dedicated to the “ Producción Social de Vivienda Asistida” gains access to financial funds is very difficult to achieve, thereby leaving a gap impossible to fill to provide financing and technology to homeless families. Therefore efforts should be made to develop a model of leveraging the savings of families who participate in assisting themselves. This means the democratization of technology and financial assets to provide opportunity to have decent housing to all homeless families. This historic change in providing a financial asset to the neediest families to be achieved through four key pillars: social inclusion, training, finance and technology. The hallmark of ¡Échale a tu casa!, is that it trains and supports communities to rebuild the social fabric through technology for housing and self-association of the beneficiaries to a community finance in order to integrate a guarantee fund which is used as collateral to obtain financing.
Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project
Imagine a room with a dirt floor sleeping nine or ten people. What can you expect of life a girl of 14 who does not know if she sleeps on the side is her husband, brother or friend of you’re her uncle? The overcrowding and promiscuity are the cancer of the formation of our youth. We cannot speak of a fair country when in Mexico 4.2 million families live in overcrowded houses or live in precarious materials (cardboard sheet houses.)
Speaking of individual figures, 25 million people or nearly one fifth of the population in Mexico has no access to housing, that being the population sector that has a family income of the socioeconomic level of $ 120 to $ 600. This sector of the population uses 30% of its resources to build their own housing. Such payment does not contribute to the income of the family, as used in maintenance and repairs such as changing sheets of cardboard, leaky faucets, among others. The lack of financing and technical assistance resulting in a process with no planning, poor quality, high waste, high costs and a long completion time of between 10 and 15 years.
My motivation lies in reversing the process by supporting families to have decent housing today and hence, this effort is the engine to participate in economic and social development staff, family and his country.
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?
Benefit families whose monthly income is less than USD $ 600 who do not have access decent housing. This target population in Mexico is 25 million. Currently there are government programs that provide assistance or building materials. Likewise, there are financial intermediaries that provide credit to the self builder to high interest rates (80% annually). None of these forms succeeds in building a home for those in need.
Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured.
The program's success is based on the whole family being involved in the self-assisted home, which in turn is part of a social franchise. Thus, in addition to building a home, they have a technical and socio-economic program.
The sustainability of the program is based on the fields:
- Environmental: Building a “green home ecoterm wall”, biomass, recovering rainwater, gray water filtration, solar heater, saving energy and saving stoves (Patsari). A sustainable housing creates a sustainable habitat.
- Social. The community housing will be co-designed with community members, thereby re-structuring social fabric. The complex sustainable housing generates a sustainable society.
- Economic. The main purpose of ¡Échale a tu casa!, is the economic development of families and therefore of the community. People who participate will receive a payment for the production and construction materials of their homes. A sustainable family economy generates a sustainable national economy.
All sustainable housing program ¡Échale a tu casa!, are built according to the guidelines of the UN. The way to measure success is by measuring the amount of homes being built. They have built more than 25 000 households with the participation of thousands of families.
How many people have been impacted by your project?
More than 10,000
How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?
More than 10,000
What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?
The major barrier is the cost of financing. The target population has difficulty access credit. If they do succeed, the rate is over 80% annually. Reducing the interest rate allows for the construction of a greater number of households. The tool to overcome this obstacle are the Social Franchise which, being “non for profit”, gives access to thousands of families to credit. The solution is to integrate stakeholder groups-savers in the target communities. Savings, training and technology allow for the replication of the program to all communities in the country.
How will your project evolve over the next three years?
Échale a tu casa! Each social franchise is capable of building 250 homes and 1,000 annual housing improvements. In the next 3 years it will develop 300 social franchising. The cumulative result at the end of the third year will be 450 thousand homes built and 1.8 million housing improvements.
Sustainability
For each selection, please explain the financial and non-financial support from each
-Individuals: Members of the community, associated with the Social Franchise providing down payment savings of your home. These savings make the franchise partners. These savings include the guarantee fund to access funding from other sources.
- Foundations: Request a zero rate loan or covering the rate of inflation. These are sources of financing who are covering their loan paid back the value of money over time.
-Businesses: We have agreements for preferential prices and credit in industrial materials (cement, rod, water tanks, etc.).
-Regional Government: We negotiated with them building permits and improvements to community infrastructure such as potable water, streets, lighting, lighting, drainage.
-National Government: The national development bank requires capitalization or a guarantee fund to gain access to additional funding. With this guarantee fund of the community, they have access to these funding sources.
How do you plan to grow and/or diversify your base of support in the next three years?
- The base of support of ¡Échale a tu casa!, is the number of people who are integrated into the social franchise;
- The greater number of partners, the greater the guarantee fund. This is the capital of the company;
- Diversifying the sources of funding which can be accessed as an endorsement giving the guarantee fund;
- The more powerful the background, greater diversification of funding;
- Through the 300 social franchising in the next 3 years will add 450 thousand families in the program. This creates a fund of $ 17 million;
- Collaboration
Collaboration
Please select your areas of intervention in the home improvement market
Financing, Design, Technology, Technical assistance, Labor, Sanitation, Infrastructure, Energy conservation, Green housing, Environment, Income generation, Urban development, Rural development, Citizen/community participation.
Is your innovation addressing barriers in the home improvement/progressive housing market? If so, please describe in detail your mechanisms of intervention
There is no family that does not dream of having their own home as a grand palace. However, the financial reality prevents them from building this grand palace in a single step. Progressive housing provides the family with adequate housing solution in the beginning and will grow according to the needs of each family, in a harmonious way. Since the beginning, the house is co-designed with the community considering the various requirements necessary to meet the future needs of the family. Progressive housing is designed from the initial unit. This prevents uneven growth that demerits the functionality of housing and the equity. In the process of assisted self-production, as in the progressive construction, there is always place for advice and supervision.
Are you currently collaborating with private companies, or have you partnered with private companies in the past? With which companies?
-New Ventures México.
-Angel Venture México.
-Proveedores Mexalit (Grupo Elementia), Rotoplas, Grupo GMI, Cementeras (CEMEX, APASCO, Cruz Azul, Moctezuma), COMEX, De Acero:
-Asociación Mexicana de Uniones de Crédito del Sector Social (AMUCSS)
-Fundación Azteca
-"New Ventures Mexico. Business Accelerator. We have provided a network of mentors who have helped to structure the program and its escalation.
-Angel Venture Mexico. Business Accelerator. Achievement of social capital for the company's financial strength.
"Vendors such as: Mexalit (Group Elementi). Rotoplas. GMI Group, Cement (CEMEX, Apasco, Cruz Azul, Moctezuma), COMEX, Steel: We have cooperation agreements dealer for pricing and to reach communities industrialized materials at preferential prices.
"Unions Mexican Association of Social Sector Credit (AMUCSS). In Mexico, all popular forms of finance should be associated with a federation that has oversight of the National Banking and Securities Commission (NBSC). We conducted a strategic alliance in order to make AMUCSS, the Community Credit Union, properly regulated.
-Fundación Azteca. Housing Commission are presided by the National Committee for Sustainable Rural Cities Foundation headed by Azteca, ACSelect the unit(s) with which the partnership was established.
Corporate social responsibility department, Marketing department.
Please describe in detail the nature of the partnership(s)
-New Ventures México. Aceleradora de empresas. Nos ha proporcionado una red de mentores quienes han colaborado para la estructuración del programa y su escalamiento.
-Angel Venture México. Aceleradora de empresas. Consecución de capital social para el fortalecimiento financiero de la empresa.
-Proveedores como: Mexalit (Grupo Elementia). Rotoplas. Grupo GMI, Cementeras (CEMEX, APASCO, Cruz Azul, Moctezuma), COMEX, De Acero: Contamos con convenios de colaboración para obtener precios de distribuidor y hacer llegar a las comunidades los materiales industrializados a precios preferenciales.
-Asociación Mexicana de Uniones de Crédito del Sector Social (AMUCSS). En México, toda forma de finanzas populares deben estar asociadas a una federación que cuente con la supervisión de la Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores (CNBV). Realizamos una alianza estratégica con AMUCSS con la finalidad que la Sociedad Financiera Comunitaria estén debidamente reguladas.
-Fundación Azteca. Presidimos la Comisión de Vivienda del Comité Nacional de Ciudades Rurales Sustentables que encabeza Fundación Azteca, A.C.
Select the unit(s) with which the partnership was formed
Corporate social responsibility department, Marketing department.
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Comments
En lo que he podido observar colaborando con ¡Échale! A tu casa, este es un programa que integra perfectamente el concepto de sustentabilidad. A nivel ambiental proveen viviendas construidas a partir de materiales ecológicos, opuestos a materiales tradicionales muy contaminantes como lo es el ladrillo. A nivel social unen a la comunidad, ya que todos participan en la construcción de las viviendas. Los empoderan al brindarles una solución real para obtener una vivienda digna. Los sueños de una mejor vida se vuelven alcanzables al ser dueño de una casa terminada y hecha a la medida de sus necesidades. A nivel económico no sólo se ofrecen las facilidades para construir en el corto plazo una casa, sino que se genera empleo y la oportunidad de ser franquiciatario de un negocio que impacte positivamente a otras comunidades. ¡Échale! A tu casa es un programa inspirador, con un Director (Francesco) y un equipo que han movido todo a su alcance para que las familias mexicanas logren una necesidad básica de la mejor manera: tener una casa.
Alonso. Mil gracias por tus comentarios. Es importante resaltar que ¡Échale a tu casa! es una empresa social. Busca inversiones de impacto social. De igual forma, la franquicia que se queda en la comunidad busca un inversiones de impacto social, a la vez que genera una forma de sustento ecnómico financiero a los franquiciatarios.
En todos los años que llevo trabajando programs de Desarrollo Social tant en instituciones públicas, privadas como ong's, siempre ha coincidido el tema de vivienda como uno de los más importantes. Actualmente de todas las propuestas de vivienda social sustentable que existen en nuestro país, Echale es la que considero cuenta con una visión integral para el Desarrollo.
No solamente abarca la construcción de las viviendas sino que fomenta la participación social, la creación de redes comunitarias, el trabajo y la vinculación entre los miembros de la región, sino que ofrece una alternativa de formación-capacitación a través de la cual se van generando propuestas de Desarrollo Local.
Sin lugar a dudas Échale es hoy, una de las opciones más sólidas para el Desarrollo de nuestro país.
Brenda. Mil gracias por todos tus comentarios. La visión de Échale a Tu Casa está basada en los principios de la Empresa Social. Autores como Stefano Zamagni, David Bornstein y Muhammad Yunus, nos han servido de guía para impulsar la Producción Social de Vivienda como un vehículo de solución al problema del hábitat mundial. Tú eres experta en el mundo de las microfinanzas y comprenderás el gran vacío que existe entre el microcrédito y la necesidad de un sistema de microfinanzas sustentable para vivienda. El propio Yunus en su último libro 'Building social business' dice (sic): "At Grameen bank, our highest interest rate is 20 percent, and many types of loans, including sludent loans and home mortgages, are assessed at significant lower rates. However some for-profit companies in the microcredit world have become very financially successful by charging much higher interest rates, sometimes in excess of 80 percent or even 100 percent per year". Esto nos invita a no abandonar el principio de Amartya Sen (Premio Nobel de Economía 1998) que en su obra “Libertad y Desarrollo” establece que la verdadera libertad se alcanza cuando la sociedad tiene diversas opciones para su desarrollo. Las familias de las comunidades no tienen opción alguna. En Échale a Tu Casa trabajamos para brindar una nueva opción de desarrollo patrimonial a través de una vivienda digna.
Excelente proyecto. Lo he visto crecer desde los años 90 y es un orgullo para México. Adelante.
Ojála tuvieramos más proyectos como este en México. Felicidades
Leopoldo. La demanda para substituir vivienda de lámina de cartón se ha incrementado de 4.7 a 5.2 millones de acuerdo a las últimas declaraciones de las autoridades. Nosotros también deseamos que existan más proyectos, más emprendedores, instituciones y empresas. Coincidimos en que es necesario crear una industria a partir de la Producción Social de Vivienda Asistida (PSVA). El marcado existe y tiene una demanda tan inmensa como desorganizada. Al contar con mayor participación, con mayor oferta, tendremos más familias con vivienda digna, más generación de empleos en las comunidades y más derrama económica regional.
Salvador. Desde que inició el programa, en el año de 1985, que sólo consistía en llevar la máquina a la comunidad para que las familias produjeran su material, se ha tenido una dinámica en varios aspectos, los más importantes son la inclusión social, dado que consideramos que la gente que es parte del problema debe ser parte de la solución y esto se logra a través del empoderamiento. Y los aspectos financieros, encontrando la herramienta, un fondo social de garantía, para permitir que las familias tengan acceso a alguna forma de microcrédito hipotecario a una tasa financieramente sostenible y coherente con su economía.
Sin duda, es un programa que permite tener una vivienda digna a la gente mas lo necesita
Antonio. Como bien debes saber, prácticamente en todos los países en desarrollo el proceso de autoconstrucción representa un alto procentaje de las soluciones de vivienda. En México es superior al 50%, es decir, si las organizaciones de gobierno, nacionales e internacionales van a dotar de 800 mil viviendas al parque habitacional, la sociedad va a realizar otras tantas soluciones, que van desde un plástico debajo de un árbol, hasta la losa de la habitación superior. Un programa organizado y basado en la inclusión social es el vehículo para facilitar este proceso, hacerlo expedito, brindar una vivienda digna, al tiempo que la comunidad se desarrolla de forma integral.
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