Sharing home - a national project that unites generations

At a time when Portuguese society is facing major challenges, such as the housing crisis and the growing loneliness of the senior population, MEO, as a brand for causes, is presenting the Partilha home initiative. This is a three-year national initiative that aims to publicize programs that encourage seniors and young university students to share accommodation, in circumstances where they can live together and use tools that facilitate access to them and meet the needs of the Portuguese population. The concept is simple: bring together young university students looking for accommodation and seniors who live alone and enjoy company.

Portugal is the fastest ageing country in the European Union and 1.7 million elderly people say they live alone. At the same time, 95% of young Portuguese live with their parents and the average rent of the most recent rental contracts is more than three times that of the old ones. 

Partilha home is thus a solution to mitigate the difficulty of young university students displaced from their families having access to affordable accommodation and the loneliness of the senior population. All this in a welcoming and sharing environment, allowing for greater comfort and quality of life, making Proximity and Humanization the underlying concepts of this project. 

 The national aggregator website partilhacasa.pt provides a platform that integrates the current partner programs that promote the sharing of intergenerational home and opens the door for others to develop and join this same initiative, one of the aims of which is to boost the prevalence of this type of solution throughout our country. It is also on this website that anyone interested - seniors, young people or institutions - can register and thus be part of this program. 

By establishing partnerships with programs that work in this area, MEO is taking on the role of promoter and facilitator of the Partilha home initiative, bringing together associations and institutions that promote this cause - amplifying the potential for attracting candidates in its geographical context - and official entities that support this initiative. In the launch phase, the Abraço de Gerações Program in Coimbra and the Une.Idades Program in Lisbon are part of the project, as well as Gebalis, as the partner promoting this concept in the city of Lisbon. 

With people, communications and the territory home at its core, MEO is also offering communication solutions with special conditions to participants in the program, enabling them to provide shared accommodation with the necessary connectivity and access to information.

"With this initiative we intend to reach every corner of the country, in favor of a greater cause to which the Portuguese cannot remain indifferent. As a leader in the electronic communications sector, MEO has a duty to draw the attention of the Portuguese to issues that are present in society, collaborating in the construction of a future that honors the fundamental importance of people.", Ana Figueiredo, CEO of Altice Portugal.

Partilha home also has the city councils of Porto, Coimbra and Lisbon as partners in the project.

"The Municipality of Porto has been a pioneer in responding to the challenges of a rapidly aging population, with programs such as Porto Importa-se or Residências Partilhadas. Similarly, it is at the forefront of finding solutions to the housing crisis, at different levels, whether it's creating programs for affordable housing, such as Porto com Sentido, or continuing to invest in social housing, with around 13% of its buildings allocated to this type of housing, compared to the national average of 2%. There is therefore nothing more natural than for the Municipality of Porto to join the Partilha project home, which seems relevant and pertinent in the fight against these two social scourges.", Rui Moreira, Mayor of Porto.

For Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon, "Housing is the biggest challenge we have in Lisbon at the moment. It's a challenge that doesn't have a simple solution, but needs several different answers. And if there's one thing that can make a difference in all these responses, it's one very specific thing: innovation. That's what MEO has done with this project, using innovation to solve social problems. And so, as Mayor of Lisbon, I'm very proud to be associated with this great initiative, because it conveys exactly what I think about the role of innovation. For innovation to be worthwhile, it has to have an impact and the real impact is this social impact, this ability to change people's lives for the better."

"The ageing of the population represents a negative demographic dynamic across the country, albeit with asymmetries. Coimbra is particularly affected, above the national average. The problems of housing, loneliness and isolation of the elderly are a challenge for Portugal, for the government, for local authorities, for institutions, for everyone. The Municipality of Coimbra congratulates Altice, through its social responsibility, on the creation of the social impact project to mitigate these problems, with the ultimate aim of contributing, one and all, to a society that is truly humanized and concretely concerned about the most fragile and needy people.", Dr. José Manuel Silva, Mayor of Coimbra.

"When you open a door, you open your heart"

To mark the launch of this initiative and ensure it has the widest possible reach, MEO is also launching a multi-media campaign to publicize this project nationwide to all Portuguese.

It's a human campaign whose genesis lies in the two problems facing Portuguese society - the housing crisis and the loneliness of the elderly - the benefits of sharing home between generations and the promotion of the partilhacasa.pt website.

"When you open a door, you open your heart" tells the story of a young woman who goes to Lisbon to study and share home with an elderly woman. The relationship between the two quickly evolves from a strictly practical and functional one to a strong friendship, with a natural coexistence and mutual help in daily tasks and in the moments of their personal daily lives.

In a very human and emotional way, the story evolves as the young woman learns about the skating past of the lady who takes her in home. She ends up surprising her on Christmas Eve by giving her the chance to skate again, reliving the experience of a past full of emotion.

 

A story that brings together two generations, building a better future together.

Because when you open a door, you open your heart.