By implementing the SOCEC HOUSING project, we wanted to achieve several key outcomes that address the urgent housing and energy challenges faced by union members. One of the primary goals was to foster knowledge exchange and peer learning between Hungarian trade unions, local organizations, and European experts. We recognized the need for Hungarian unions and organizations to learn from best practices in other European countries to identify and implement feasible, community-based solutions to the housing energy crisis. This exchange of knowledge was critical in equipping local stakeholders with insights into effective sustainable housing models and innovative approaches to energy efficiency. By training union staff and trainers, we aimed to give them the skills necessary to understand the housing and energy challenges their members face and to map out practical, sustainable solutions. These new skills would help unions to take proactive steps in addressing both short-term needs—such as managing rising energy costs—and long-term solutions (such as energy efficiency renovations).
We applied for the SOCEC HOUSING project to address the urgent housing energy crisis faced by many Hungarian households. Research from SEC (Solidarity Economy Centre) (2021) highlighted a significant gap between wages and housing costs, with a large portion of union workers struggling to meet housing-related expenses. The recent spike in energy costs exacerbated these challenges, placing households at risk of falling into debt spirals, experiencing health issues, and facing further housing-related hardships. Moreover, the COVID-19 lockdowns revealed that two-thirds of Hungarian households had minimal savings, underscoring the vulnerability of low-income groups to rising utility costs. This situation is reflective of a broader European problem of energy poverty, where between 50 and 125 million people in the EU are unable to afford basic indoor thermal comfort. The project aimed to address these intersecting challenges by creating sustainable, locally adaptable housing energy solutions that are community-driven and social economy-based. Our goal was to promote energy efficiency and empower trade union (TU) staff and local organizations to implement these solutions.