We are delighted to announce Marco Corradi as the new President of Eurhonet. As President of Acer Reggio Emilia (Italy) and Coordinator of the Public Housing Companies of the Emilia-Romagna region, Marco brings a wealth of experience and vision to Eurhonet.
In this special message, Marco shares his thoughts on the challenges facing the public and social housing sector today and the values that Eurhonet represents.
“It is more important than ever to exchange best practice and experiences, so that we can provide the best services for our residents. It is an honour to become the President of Eurhonet” – Marco Corradi
Housing is an increasing priority for European citizens. The gap between family income and housing costs is widening, driving an increased risk of poverty in our countries. Faced with the realities of climate change, we urgently need sustainable, affordable homes. Important demographic changes are producing social challenges which need to be addressed. All the time, we are facing new situations. We must find appropriate responses.
The housing crisis affects people at all stages and from all walks of life. The number of older people needing accessible, safe, and age-friendly environments is increasing. Young people face issues of affordability and loneliness. Large families find themselves forced to live in overcrowded homes. Cities are more and more attractive for work and study, but often don’t have the diverse housing options suitable for people’s needs.
Now, more than ever, action is needed to increase the provision of affordable housing, fight fuel poverty, and promote energy efficiency and self-production from renewable sources. Innovation will play an important role in reducing housing costs and fostering sustainable communities, from the introduction of advanced technologies, digitalisation, and introducing shared neighbourhood services.
Through all this, our core mission remains unchanged: taking care not only of our buildings but of all the people and communities who live in them.
As housing providers, our actions should encourage social cohesion, support tenant involvement in decision-making, and create environments where all people can thrive.
These topics are central to Eurhonet’s work, and are more and more a priority on the city, national and European levels. For the first time, the European Commission has appointed a Commissioner for Energy and Housing Policy. This confirms that the question of housing will no longer hold a marginal place. We look forward to continued collaboration with our partner Housing Europe, our sector’s representative body at the EU and international level.
It is more important than ever to exchange best practice and experiences, so that we can provide the best services to our residents. Eurhonet’s Topic Groups take a forward-thinking and innovation-driven approach. We will continue in this direction. By sharing our achievements and our difficulties, we can work together to find the most effective solutions.
Eurhonet – with its wealth of staff development activities and initiatives – is important to help our organisations grow. Thanks to our members in different European countries, we can identify the pressing needs in our sector and transform them into learning opportunities to continually improve.
It is an honour to become President of Eurhonet. I would like to thank the members of the Eurhonet Council of Administration and General Assembly for the confidence you have placed in me as President. I thank the outgoing President Fredrik Törnqvist, the Coordinators of the Eurhonet Topic Groups and activities, Alessandro and Rose from the Secretariat, and all those who have contributed to the activities of Eurhonet so far. I commit to honouring my role as President over the next three years.
Many new challenges await us. We are ready.
Marco Corradi
President of Eurhonet
