Home renovation in Getafe, Spain: “The neighbourhood approach proved essential in reaching the heart of the residents.”

Getafe is a medium-size municipality of 189,000 inhabitants, located in the south of Madrid. Its Municipal Land and Housing Company (EMSV Getafe) has been working in the field of housing renovation for over 20 years. The doors of a local One-Stop Shop (OSS) for home energy renovations opened to the public in January 2022, thanks to the European Urban Innovative Actions programme. In September 2023, once the project was completed, the OSS was integrated into municipal services through the EMSV Getafe.

We asked Pablo Hayali, Healthy Homes Department Coordinator and Social Worker at EMSV Getafe, to tell us more about Getafe’s OSS and its ingredients for succesful home energy renovations. One key advice he gives to his peers is:

The OSS team should ideally include people with cross-disciplinary training, with complementary technical profiles from both, social and construction and building sectors. Together, they are able to find integrated and realistic solutions for people. In our case, having a transdisciplinary team which has previously worked with neighbourhood associations and organisations, proved essential.

Pablo Hayali

Can you introduce yourself? 

My name is Pablo Hayali, I am a Healthy Homes Department Coordinator and Social Worker at Getafe Municipal Land and Housing Company (EMSV Getafe). My professional career has always been linked to the social sphere, particularly in the areas of housing and utilities, including housing exclusion

Can you present your city and your municipal company?

Getafe is a municipality of 189,000 inhabitants, located in the south of Madrid. Our municipal company has been working in the field of housing renovation for over 20 years. We manage municipal funds and programmes financed by the EU and other administrations. Every year, we distribute subsidies for building renovations, including grants for replacing windows, improving insulation, accessibility and building envelopes

Tell us more about your One-Stop Shop

Our OSS opened its doors in January 2022 as part of the European programme Urban Innovative Actions  – Energy Poverty Intelligence Unit – Healthy Homes Project. In September 2023, once the project was completed, the OSS was integrated into municipal services through the EMSV Getafe. The OSS employs five people: a general coordinator (architect), an office coordinator – social worker, and three administrative staff members. Our objective is to promote building renovation and to inform and accompany residents in their home renovation projects. We pay attention to the vulnerability of neighbourhoods and people, and we also work on issues related to energy supply, energy communities and self-consumption.

What is the role of the city of Getafe in the creation of your One-Stop Shop?

The support from the municipal government was crucial for the development of the Healthy Homes project, and later, when European funding ended, for the structural integration of the OSS into the EMSV Getafe. The OSS was part of the municipality’s vision of the future of the city, along with the fight against energy poverty and data management.

One-Stop Shop creation is a long journey, can you tell us how it went? 

Thanks to our experience with programs such as the Area of Rehabilitation, Renovation and Urban Regeneration (ARRU), and with the Healthy Homes Office, we realised that the OSS is a key tool for providing support to citizens. Home energy renovation is a complex and unfamiliar topic. Our OSS brings it closer to citizens. Initially, we focused on energy poverty and utilities. Before we opened the OSS in January 2022, the OSS team had been conducting a series of visits and meetings with social workers in the municipality’s neighbourhoods. Our aim was to understand their reality and needs, and to establish regular, trustful contact within the territory.  The relationship with neighbourhood associations, organisations and other municipal departments was key for generating referrals and promoting the service. The OSS provides its services weekly in five neighbourhood Civic Centers spread across the municipality. One central office offers permanent support on utilities, energy renovation, energy communities, and shared self-consumption. The neighbourhood approach proved essential in reaching the ‘heart’ of the neighbourhoods and residents who use municipal facilities and services. We want the OSS to become a key player at three levels: home, building, and neighbourhood. We hope to mobilise homeowners’ communities and to encourage renovation, especially at the building scale.

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