The Government of the Canary Islands, through the Ministry of Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Childhood and Families, has presented the Auchón Intergenerational Co-housing Program, an initiative that seeks to combat unwanted loneliness in the elderly, while offering a housing solution to young people in vulnerable situations.
“The Auchón Intergenerational Co-housing Program is an initiative that will promote coexistence between generations and vulnerable groups,” said the minister, Candelaria Delgado.
The project, promoted in collaboration with the Family Center, proposes an innovative model of coexistence in which elderly people, with a part of their home available, share their home with young people –students, former wards or even single-parent families–.
The Minister of Social Welfare, highlighted during this presentation that “the Auchón Program turns two social problems into a shared opportunity: The elderly find company, security and active aging, and young people a space to live and grow with support.”
An accompanied and safe model
The Auchón Program is not a traditional rental, but a transfer of housing use of a social and non-profit nature, with legal backing. The agreement establishes rights, duties and rules of coexistence for both parties, with the accompaniment of a multidisciplinary technical team made up of psychologists, social workers, educators and jurists.
For her part, the general director of the Elderly, Verónica Meseguer, stressed that “every step is taken care of: first the profiles are assessed, then cross-interviews are carried out to guarantee affinity, training workshops are given, and finally coexistence begins with a trial period of one month and constant monitoring.”
The program itinerary includes six phases: detection and referral of participants, assessment of profiles, interviews and linking, preparation for coexistence, supervised development and final evaluation. In addition, monthly community activities are scheduled to reinforce the feeling of belonging and create intergenerational support networks.
In full dissemination phase: call to elderly and young people
After months of preparation and coordination with social entities, senior citizen associations, universities, health centers, parishes and town councils, the Auchón Program is now entering its public dissemination phase.
In this sense, Minister Delgado made a direct appeal: “We invite elderly people who feel lonely and have a free room, as well as interested young people, to register for the program. This is an innovative, humane and supportive project that we want to consolidate and extend throughout the Archipelago.”
Those interested can request more information through the email auchon@familiascanarias.com and on the phone 922 615099.
Canary Islands, a benchmark in social innovation
With this initiative, the Canary Islands is at the forefront of social policies in Spain, offering an innovative response to two urgent challenges: unwanted loneliness in the elderly and the difficulties of youth emancipation.
The Auchón Program aims to become a replicable experience on all the islands and a benchmark for intergenerational solidarity, “transforming loneliness into company and vulnerability into opportunity,” concluded the minister.